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1982-1983
Nationwide
Recreation
Survey

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
REPOSITORY ITEM

JUN 4 1986

pLEMSON
BBRAR^

U.S. Department of the Interior
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2012 with funding from

LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation

http://archive.org/details/19821983nationwi00nati

1982-1983
Nationwide
Recreation
Survey

Issued April 1986

U.S. Department
of the Interior
Donald P. Hodel,

Secretary

NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE

William P. Mott,

Director

SUGGESTED CITATION

U.S. Department of the Interior,
National Park Service

1982-1983 Nationwide Recreation
Survey

For Sale by Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20402

Library of Congress Catalog Card
Number 85-600634

The 1982-83 Nationwide Recreation Survey
Report was prepared by the Recreation
Resources Assistance Division, National Park
Service, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Washington, D.C. The authors are
Merle J. Van Home, Laura B. Szwak,
and Sharon A. Randall, with substantial
support from Carolyn B McKenna.
Design, graphics, publication, and printing
services were provided by the Publication
Services Division, Bureau of the Census,
U.S. Department of Commerce.

Foreword

The 1982-83 Nationwide Recreation Survey (NRS) is the latest in an irregular series of
interview surveys of the American public dating back to the 1960 National Recreation Survey
sponsored by the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission. Like the earlier efforts,
this survey provides current information on what Americans do for recreation in the outdoors
and on their perceptions and aspirations with respect to recreation opportunities.

This most recent NRS was sponsored by the Interior Department's National Park Service in
cooperation with the Forest Service (Department of Agriculture), the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment (Department of the Interior) and the Administration on Aging (Department of Health
and Human Services). This is the first time that a nationwide recreation survey has been con-
ducted cooperatively by a consortium of agencies. This shared effort resulted in a much
larger, better, and more comprehensive outdoor recreation data base than any of the sponsors
could have acquired alone in the constrained budgetary climate of the 1980s. The sponsoring
agencies have earned our thanks for their cooperation, perseverance, and spirit of
accommodation .

The computer tape of the 1982-83 NRS data base, with documentation, is available for
purchase, and scientists of different disciplinary viewpoints are encouraged to acquire and
analyze it. For further information on the NRS data base, contact the Recreation Resources
Assistance Division, National Park Service, at 202/343-3780.

Future recreation surveys are in various stages of planning. So that we may serve your in-
formation requirements better, we need your comments and suggestions. A response form is
provided at the end of this report for your convenience in evaluating the 1982-83 NRS and
suggesting improvements in our data collection efforts. I can assure you that your advice will
be given the most careful consideration in planning future recreation surveys.

Finally, on behalf of all concerned, I would like to direct a heartfelt word of thanks to the
5,757 Americans who generously consented to be interviewed during the 1982-83 Nation-
wide Recreation Survey.

William Penn Mott, Jr.
Director, National Park Service

Contents

Foreword »'

List of Tables v

List of Figures vi

Introduction 1

Summary of Findings 5

Chapters

1. Americans and the Outdoors 11

2. Examining Outdoor Recreation Activities 17

3. Places and Trips for Outdoor Recreation 35

4. Americans and Their National Parks 41

5. Trends in Time and Money Expenditures 47

6. Aging and Outdoor Recreation 55

Appendixes

A. Statistical Tables 63

B. Sampling Error 79

C. Survey Questionnaire 83

Reader Comment Sheet 95

List of Tables

Table

1. Outdoor Recreation Involvement by Demographic Characteristic 13

2. Status of Activities: Participation Rates, Choice as Favorites, and Number of Participants 18

3. Activity Participation Trends, 1960 to 1982 19

4. Activity Participation, by Demographic Categories 20

5. Favorite Activities 24

6. Participation in Selected Activities, by Demographic Characteristics 25

7. Annual Volume of Activity Per Participant 28

8. Monthly Volume of Activity, by Season 29

9. Recreation Participation, by Activity and Season 30

10. Percentage Who Gave Selected Reasons for not Engaging in Favorite Activities 31

11. Percentage of Respondents Who Gave Selected Reasons for Enjoying Favorite Activities 32

12. Short-Term Activity Trend Indicators 33

13. Importance of Recreation Areas at Various Distances From Home 35

14. Availability of Yards and Nearby Recreation Areas 36

15. Utilization of Outdoor Recreation Opportunities 36

16. Trips or Outings to Engage in Selected Outdoor Recreation Activities 37

17. Trips for Recreation, by Activity and Length of Trip 37

18. Characteristics of Trips and Outings 38

19. Destination Characteristics of Trips and Outings 38

20. National Park Visits : 42

21. Changes in Lifetime Recall of National Park Visits 43

22. Number of National Parks Ever Visited, by Demographic Characteristic 44

23. Maximum Acceptable National Park Entry Fees 45

24. Outdoor Activity Constraints 47

25. Reason for Spending More Time or Less Time on Outdoor Recreation 50

26. Characteristics of Respondents Who Spent Money on Outdoor Recreation 50

27. Reason for Spending a Larger Percentage or a Smaller Percentage of Money on Outdoor Recreation 53

28. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Age Groups 55

29. Reasons for Enjoying Favorite Activities, by Age Groups 56

30. Constraints on Favorite Activities, by Age Groups 56

31. Reasons for Discontinuing a Recreation Activity, by Age Groups 57

List of Tables

Table

32. Changes in Time and Money Spent for Outdoor Recreation, by Age Groups 57

33. Club-Sponsored Outdoor Recreation Activities by Respondents Aged 60 and Older 58

34. Outdoor Recreation Skills and Teaching Activities of Respondents Aged 60 and Older 58

35. Reasons for Not Teaching Outdoor Skills 58

A-l. Outdoor Recreation Activities not Listed on Questionnaire or Information Card Booklet, by Annual Participation

Rate and Choice as Favorites 63

A-2. Preferences for Allocating National Park Operating Costs 63

A-3. Respondent Views on Operating Costs of National Park Campgrounds 64

A-4. Respondent Views on How to Cover Costs of Special Talks and Exhibits in National Parks 64

A-5. Respondent Views on How to Cover Costs of Reservation Systems in National Parks 65

A-6. Respondent Views on How to cover Costs of Rides on Buses or Other Ways of Getting Around in National Parks .... 65
A-7. Preference Rankings for "Turning People Away Who Come After a Limit of People are in Park" to Reduce

Overcrowding in National Parks 66

A-8. Preference Rankings for "Letting People Apply in Advance Then Drawing Names" to Allocate Reservations as a

Means of Reducing Overcrowding in National Parks 66

A-9. Preference Rankings for "Taking Reservations on a First-Come, First-Serve Basis" to Reduce Overcrowding in

National Parks 67

A-10 Preference Rankings for "Charging an Extra 5 Dollars Per Adult Visitor" to Reduce Overcrowding in National Parks . . 67

A-ll. Time Expenditure Changes for Outdoor Recreation: Present Compared With Earlier 2 Years 68

A-l 2. Estimated Time Expenditure Changes in Outdoor Recreation For Next 2 Years 69

A-13. Reasons for Spending More Time in Outdoor Recreation 70

A-14. Reasons for Spending Less Time for Outdoor Recreation 71

A-15. Reasons Given for Spending a Smaller Percentage of Income for Outdoor Recreation 72

A-16. Reasons Given for Spending a Larger Percentage of Income on Outdoor Recreation 73

A-l 7. Present Money Expenditures for Outdoor Recreation Compared With 2 Years Prior to Interview 74

A-18. Estimated Changes in Money Expenditures for Outdoor Recreation During Next 2 Years 75

B-l. Theoretical Standard Errors for Various Size Samples and Estimated Population Proportions 79

List of Figures

Figure

1. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Age t 6

2. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Sex 7

3. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Race 7

4. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Family Income 7

5. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Education 8

6. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Number of Cars Owned by Household 9

7. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Size of Locality of Residence 10

8. Census Regions . 15

9. Recent and Expected Changes in Time Spent on Outdoor Recreation 47

10. Average Number of Activities Engaged in by Persons Citing Various Changes in Time Spent on Outdoor Recreation . . 48

11. Average Annual Number of Activity-Days of Participation by Persons Citing Various Changes in Time Spent on

Outdoor Recreation 48

12. Money Spent for Outdoor Recreation During 12 Months Prior to Interview 51

13. Purchases for Outdoor Recreation in Prior Year 51

14. Recent and Expected Changes in Money Spent on Outdoor Recreation 52

15. Relationship of Recent Change in Time and Money Expenditures for Outdoor Recreation 52

Introduction

An understanding of the outdoor recrea-
tion participation patterns and preferences of
the American people is necessary for effec-
tive policy development, planning, and deci-
sionmaking at all levels of government and
in the private sector. To enhance this
understanding, the Federal Government
periodically conducts nationwide recreation
surveys. The results of the most recent Na-
tionwide Recreation Survey (NRS) con-
ducted between September 1982 and June
1983, are presented in this report.

The data collected include:

1. Participation rates and volume of activity
for selected outdoor recreation pursuits.

2. Favorite activities, reasons why people
like them, and constraints on
participation.

3. Activities recently started or dropped —
and prospective new starts.

4. Travel, in miles and time, as it relates to
selected activities and types of
destination.

5. Utilization and importance of outdoor
recreation opportunities at varying
distances from home.

6. National parks ever visited.

7. Public opinion on national park fees
and on methods of rationing national
park visits.

8. Recent and prospective changes in
people's allocation of time and money
to outdoor recreation and related travel
and purchases.

9. Selected aspects of involvement in out-
door recreation by persons aged 60
and over.

10. Socioeconomic characteristics of

respondents as they relate to each of
the foregoing information categories.

HISTORIC BACKGROUND

At least 22 nationwide questionnaire
surveys of outdoor recreation have been
conducted between 1959 and 1978, and

several more have occurred since then.1 Five
of these surveys may be regarded as direct
antecedents of the present effort.2

The earliest of these, the 1960 National
Recreation Survey, was a four-season survey
sponsored by the Outdoor Recreation
Resources Review Commission (ORRRC)
and conducted, under contract, by the
Bureau of the Census in the U.S. Depart-
ment of Commerce.3 The remaining four
(1965, 1970, 1972, and 1977) were all
sponsored by the Bureau of Outdoor
Recreation (BOR), in the Department of the
Interior and its successor, the Heritage Con-
servation and Recreation Service (HCRS).
They were conducted as part of the nation-
wide outdoor recreation planning process
established in response to the findings of
ORRRC.

The 1965 National Recreation Survey was
patterned after the ORRRC survey and was
also conducted by the Census Bureau. It
was, however, restricted to post-summer
(September) interviews. The 1970 survey
was a short mail supplement to that year's

'Bevins, Ml, and DP. Wilcox. 1980. Outdoor
Recreation Participation — Analysis of National Surveys,
1959-1978. Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station
Bulletin 686. Burlington, VT.

The first four of these surveys, conducted in 1960,
1965, 1970, and 1972, resulted in one or more final
reports which have since become difficult to find,
even in major libraries. Fortunately, all of them (plus
a less directly relevant survey conducted in 1971) are
described and evaluated in Kirchner Associates, Inc.
Evaluation of Five Previous Nationwide Outdoor
Recreation Surveys, which is Survey Technical
Report 1, in Appendix II of The Third Nationwide
Outdoor Recreation Plan. 1979. U.S. Department of
the Interior, Heritage Conservation and Recreation
Service, Washington, DC. The most recent anteced-
ent is the 1977 Nationwide Recreation Survey, which
is described in appendix I, Survey Summary and
appendix II, Survey Technical Reports, of The Third
Nationwide Outdoor Recreation Plan.

3An earlier, limited purpose survey, the 1955
Survey of the Public Concerning the National
Parks, will be referred to in Chapter 4, Americans
and Their National Parks.

Fishing and Hunting Survey sponsored by
the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife
(since renamed the Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice) in the Department of the Interior. The
1972 survey was conducted for BOR by
Audits and Surveys, Inc., as part of the data
gathering effort for the 1973 Nationwide
Outdoor Recreation Plan. The 1977 Nation-
wide Recreation Survey was a telephone
survey conducted by Opinion Research Cor-
poration for HCRS. It was a major source
of data for the third Nationwide Outdoor
Recreation Plan published in 1979.

Differences of content, wording, and
methodology make it difficult— and
somewhat hazardous— to compare the
results of the present survey to its
antecedents of 1970, 1972, or 1977.
Comparisons will be made, where possi-
ble, to the 1960 and 1965 National
Recreation Surveys, which were used as a
pattern for certain basic elements of the
1982-83 survey. Additionally, these three
surveys share the following characteristics:

1. In-the-home, personal interviews were
conducted where possible— with tele-
phone followups where the selected
respondent was otherwise unavailable.

2. The eligible population was the United
States noninstitutionalized population
aged 12 years and older.

3. The survey was conducted by the Cen-
sus Bureau in accordance with its
exacting standards and procedures.

1982-83 SURVEY -A
PARTNERSHIP EFFORT

By mid- 1981, the BOR and the HCRS
had been abolished. Hence the task of
organizing and coordinating this survey fell
to the successor agency, the National Park
Service. During the summer of that year,
a consortium of four agencies was formed
to conduct the survey— the National Park

Service and the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment (BLM) in the Department of the
Interior, the Forest Service in the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, and the Administration
on Aging in the Department of Health and
Human Services. Each contributed to the
design and financing of the survey and
sponsored certain of the questions.

The Forest Service and the Bureau of
Land Management jointly sponsored a
series of questions about the nature of
trips and environments associated with
selected outdoor pursuits of concern to
wildland managers. (See Appendix C,
Survey Questionnaire.) The Administration
on Aging sponsored a set of questions
which was targeted to aging issues and
was asked only of respondents 60 years
old or older. The remainder of the survey
was sponsored by various elements within
the National Park Service.

On September 30, 1981, the prime
contract for the conduct of the 1982-83
NRS was let to the Survey Research
Center of the University of Maryland. The
Center, in turn, subcontracted the conduct
of the interviews and the keying of the
data to the Bureau of the Census.

PROCEDURES

The following is a brief summary of the
way the survey was developed, con-
ducted, and analyzed. A detailed
Methodological Report has been prepared
and is furnished to researchers and others
who purchase the NRS data tape.4

The 1982-83 NRS was conducted as a
supplement to an ongoing household sam-
ple survey, (The National Crime Survey).
This arrangement resulted in substantial
cost-savings and reduced respondent
burden, since interviewer travel costs were
borne by the basic survey and the
necessary socioeconomic data about each
respondent were collected as part of the
basic survey (hence the lack of any
demographic questions in the NRS
questionnaire— see appendix C).

The 1982-83 NRS instrument was
developed cooperatively by the agencies
participating in the survey. The final
development and refinement of the instru-
ment were done by the University of
Maryland's Survey Research Center and
the U.S. Bureau of the Census in con-
sultation with the cooperating agencies.

The instrument, instructions, and ancillary
materials were pretested in June 1982.

Interviewing took place during
September 1982, and in January, April,
and June 1983. Since these may be
regarded as, respectively, the post-
summer, post-fall, post-winter, and post-
spring months, a seasonally balanced
sample was achieved. This is a major ad-
vantage in a survey of outdoor recreation,
a phenomenon which varies so greatly
from season to season. From 1,397 to
1,466 completed interviews were obtained
in each of those 4 months, for a total
sample of 5,757.

During the four survey months, the Cen-
sus Bureau assigned its interviewers 6,720
NRS cases. These were pre-identified
individuals in crime survey households — no
more than one per household. Crime
survey interviews had been conducted
previously in these households as many as
six times, at intervals of 6 months. After the
National Crime Survey's final or exit inter-
view, the selected individual was asked to
participate in the Nationwide Recreation
Survey Of the 6,720 assigned cases, 5,757
(about 85 percent) resulted in completed in-
terviews, 315 (5 percent) refused to par-
ticipate, and 648 (10 percent) were
unavailable or were not interviewed for a
variety of reasons.

Of the 5,757 completed interviews, most
(81 percent) were conducted in the
respondent's home at the time of the final
Crime Survey visit. If the pre-identified
individual was unavailable at that time, the
interviewer left an Information Card Booklet5
and arranged to conduct the interview by
telephone at a later time. Fourteen percent
of the completed interviews were conducted
in this manner. In the remaining 5 percent
of the successfully completed cases, the In-
formation Card Booklet could not be found
at the time the interviewer phoned. In that
event, an alternative (long form) question-
naire was used, in which the activity list,
national park list, and other multiple-choice
responses were read to the respondent in-
stead of by the respondent.

As are all sampling surveys, the current
NRS is subject to numerous sources of
error— most of unknown magnitude but
hopefully small.6 By contrast, the magnitude
of sampling error— the difference between a
number derived from a sample and the cor-
responding (true but unknown) quantity in
the sampled population— can be estimated.

'Robinson, John P., and Cindy Kahn. 1984. The
1982-83 Nationwide Recreation Survey: A Methodol-
ogical Report. Prepared by Survey Research Center,
University of Maryland, for the National Park Service,
U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC.

Others may purchase the Methodological Report as
a separate item. Information may be obtained from
the Recreation Resources Assistance Division,
National Park Service, USDI, P.O. Box 37127,
Washington, DC. 20013-7127. Telephone
202/343-3780.

The Information Card Booklet, often called a
"flashcard booklet* was used by the respondent as an
aid in answering certain questions designed to elicit
reactions to a limited or structured array of choices.
The booklet is described and illustrated in the
Methodological Report.

"Examples are nonresponse error (compensated, in
part, by a weighting procedure described in the
Methodological Report), recall error, and those inter-
viewer and data processing errors which remain
undetected after editing.

Appendix B examines sampling error as it
affects the reliability of the NRS.

CAUSE AND EFFECT-
A WORD OF CAUTION

In general, this report presents the results
of the 1982-83 NRS in a descriptive, rather
than an analytical, manner. In chapter 2, for
instance, changes in the status of certain
activities between 1960 and 1982-83 are
described with no attempt to suggest
reasons or causes for those changes. Other
investigators are already analyzing these
underlying cause-and-effect relationships,
and more such analyses are expected in the
future.

In certain instances, where the data may
be easily misunderstoood, alternative inter-
pretations are offered as a warning against
facile conclusions.

ORDER OF PRESENTATION

The results of the 1982-83 NRS are
presented in this report, generally, in a
sequence corresponding to that of the
questions in the questionnaire. Certain cross-
comparisons are made and, in those cases,
information will necessarily be presented out
of questionnaire sequence.

This approach will help those readers
who wish to refer to the questionnaire (ap-
pendix C) periodically to increase their
understanding of what the data mean. The
question sequence is, moreover, an essential
element of the survey method. Each ques-
tion, or series of questions, instills in the
respondents certain expectations, definitions,
and mind sets which will influence their in-
terpretation of the following questions. For
example, the questions on activities par-
ticularly enjoyed were deliberately placed first
on the questionnaire to ensure that the
spectrum of activities considered by the
respondents would be determined by their
own definition of outdoor recreation. After
reading the activity list (in the 2-Series of
questions), the respondent's definition of out-
door recreation is strongly conditioned by
that list throughout the rest of the interview.
By contrast, the questions on national park
fees and policies were placed after the list of
national parks, since the sponsors of those
questions wanted responses based on their
definition, rather than the respondent's
definition, of what a national park is.

Chapters 1 and 2 address the various
recreation activities from the viewpoints of
participation, constraints, choices of favorites,
and the reasons for those choices— as well
as certain aspects of starting new activities
and quitting old ones. This information was
derived from the 1-Series and the 2-Series
of questions (question la, lb, etc. See ap-
pendix C). Chapter 1 is about the outdoor
recreation involvements of different kinds of
people. Chapter 2 examines each listed ac-

tivity in terms of the numbers and kinds of
people who participated in it or chose it as
a favorite. Chapter 3 examines selected
spatial aspects of outdoor recreation— certain
kinds of trips, and the importance and
utilization of recreation resources at different
distances from home. The data underlying
these results were derived from the 3-series

and 4-series of questions. Chapter 4 reports
the results of the 5-series of questions which
addressed the respondent's past experience
of national park visits, willingness to pay for
future visits, and opinions on certain
national park policy issues. Chapter 5, based
on the 6-series of questions, examines re-
cent and prospective changes in people's

allocations of time and money to outdoor
recreation. Finally, chapter 6 addresses the
data derived from the 7-Series of questions,
which are about aging and outdoor recrea-
tion. These questions were asked only of
those respondents 60 years old or older.

Summary of Findings

Of the 36 outdoor activities listed in the
survey, the respondents participated in an
average of 7.2. By their own estimates, they
averaged 37 activity-days of the listed ac-
tivities during the 12 months prior to the in-
terview and spent about $355 on outdoor
recreation during that period. Figures 1
through 7 illustrate how involvement in out-
door recreation (activities, days, and dollars)
differs among various segments of the
respondent sample.

AMERICANS AND THE
OUTDOORS

As in past surveys, young Americans are
the group most heavily involved in outdoor
recreation. None of the identified respondent
groupings exceeded the young— aged 12
through 24— in number of activities pursued
nor in activity-days of participation. Both of
these indicators of recreation involvement
decline steadily throughout adulthood to a
minimum in the aged 60-and-over group.
The reverse is true of the respondents'
estimate of money spent on outdoor recrea-
tion, which rises sharply through young
adulthood and then stays in the
$400-to-$500 range even with the decline
in activity in later life.

The outdoor recreation patterns of the
two sexes are remarkably similar, although
there are a few activities for which this does
not hold. As figure 2 illustrates, however,
there are substantial differences between the
sexes in the average amounts of time com-
mitted to outdoor pursuits.

Racial differences in free time outdoor ac-
tivity are shown in figure 3. Some of the
disparity between average White and non-
White participation may be related to
income and other factors.

As in past surveys, all measures of out-
door recreation participation rise with in-
creasing family income and added years of
education (figures 4 and 5). The effect of
income does not become substantial until an

annual level of about $15,000 is reached.

Figure 6 illustrates the association between
outdoor recreation involvement and car
ownership. The non -car-owning segment
was one on the least active groups in the
survey.

The size of the locality where a respond-
ent lived (figure 7) bore little relation to out-
door involvement, except that a notable
decline occurred in the largest cities — those
of more than a million people.

Eleven percent of the survey respondents
said they did nothing at all for outdoor
recreation during the 12 months prior to the
interview. These nonparticipants were con-
centrated in the aging, non-White, and non-
car-owning segments of the sample— and
among those with less than a high school
education.

ACTIVITIES

None of the 36 activities listed in the
NRS appear to have declined in absolute
numbers of participants since the 1960s.
Most have grown moderately both in
numbers and in the percentage of the
respondents who say they participate.

Hunting, horseback riding, and ice skating
have maintained a limited following (under
15 percent) or even declined slightly in
relative terms since the 1960 and 1965
surveys. Activities which were already mass
pursuits— done by about half the
respondents— in the 1960s have retained
that status. They include swimming, pic-
nicking, walking for pleasure, and driving for
pleasure. Among the sports with stable
clienteles, fishing and boating were inter-
mediate in popularity between the limited
and mass categories.

Four activities — bicycling, camping, jog-
ging, and tennis — have risen from limited
popularity (less than 10 percent) to the
status of major pursuits over the past two
decades. Canoeing and snow skiing have
emerged rapidly from a very small base, but

are still limited in the percentage of 1982-83
respondents who participated.

PLACES AND TRIPS FOR
OUTDOOR RECREATION

Most respondents had access to both
yards and neighborhood parks for close-to-
home recreation. They used nearby recrea-
tion areas more frequently than those farther
away, but most took at least one trip to an
outdoor recreation area more than an hour's
travel from home during the 12 months
prior to the interview.

Participants in certain activities were
queried about the details of trips they took
to engage in those pursuits. Trips to go
freshwater fishing, small game/waterfowl
hunting, and off-road vehicle driving
averaged about 100 miles one way. The
average distance traveled to go hiking/
backpacking, or to go campground camping
was over 200 miles. Canoeing trips were in-
termediate at 150 miles from home, on the
average. Hunters, hikers/backpackers, and
off-road drivers had the greatest tendency to
penetrate roadless backcountry and to en-
counter few people.

AMERICANS AND THEIR
NATIONAL PARKS

Of the respondents aged 21 and older,
53 percent could recall at least one visit to a
national park. In a 1955 survey, 37 percent
could recall such a visit. Disproportionate
numbers of nonvisitors were found among
respondents who were low income, Black,
from a large family, non-car-owning, resident
in a big city, or low in educational
attainment.

Respondents aged 16 and older were
asked for their opinions on certain national
park policy matters. There was widespread
support for the view that the operating costs
of national parks should be shared between
the general public (through taxes) and the

visitors (through entrance and user fees). In
the case of special visitor services, such as
campgrounds and bus rides, there was a
tendency to favor charging the users rather
than the taxpayers.

Support was also widespread for rationing
access to national parks when necessary to
prevent overcrowding. Most respondents
preferred reservation systems over alternative
rationing methods.

TRENDS IN TIME AND
MONEY EXPENDITURES

As in past surveys, the most frequently
cited constraint on outdoor recreation par-
ticipation was lack of time, followed by lack
of money. Respondents aged 16 and older
were asked about changes in their alloca-
tions of time and money to outdoor recrea-
tion over the prior 2 years, and about any
anticipated changes in the next 2 years
(figures 9 and 14). About half cited no
change, past or future. Of those whose time
allocations had changed, the number who
cited a decrease in time spent was almost
double the number of those who claimed to
be spending more time on outdoor pursuits.
By contrast, about four times as many
respondents anticipated a rise as expected a
decline in time spent over the next 2 years.
Relatively few respondents cited a reduction
in dollar expenditures for outdoor recreation
for the past or anticipated a reduction for
the future.

The most common reasons cited for
changes in time spent in outdoor pursuits
were related to the changing stages of the
life cycle. Next to old age, the most con-
straining life condition seems to be the early
child-rearing years. This is followed by a
rapid increase as the children become older.

AGING AND OUTDOOR
RECREATION

Despite modest increases in participation
since I960, respondents aged 60 and older
were much less active in outdoor recreation
than younger persons. Almost a third of the
older group said they did nothing at all for
outdoor recreation in the 12 months prior to
the interview, compared with 7 percent of
those individuals aged 12 through 59. As
measured by average number of activities
pursued and number of activity-days, older
respondents were about one-third to one-
fourth as active as the rest. Given this low
level of activity, the average estimated an-
nual expenditure for outdoor recreation by
senior citizens was quite high ($391) —
higher; in fact, than that of the younger seg-
ment ($350).

Senior citizens' reasons for enjoying their
favorite activities were quite similar to the
other respondents' reasons. Seniors were
much more likely to cite health problems as
a constraint on their favorite pursuits or as a
reason for discontinuing a recreation activity.

Only 13 percent of the respondents
60 years and older reported participating in
any club- or organization-sponsored outdoor
recreation activities. Senior citizen groups
and church organizations appeared to be the
primary sponsors of these club activities.

Older respondents who were skilled in
fishing, hunting, golf, gardening, or team
sports, tended to be active in teaching those
skills to others. The role of senior citizens in
teaching other outdoor skills appears to be
very limited.

FIGURE 1

Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Age

Average number of
activities

12 to 24

25 to 39 40 to 59

Age

Average number of

60 and
over

....

activity -days per year

"' """" '""" '"

12 to 24

25 to 39 Age 4° t0 59

Average annual expenditures
on outdoor recreation

$413

60 and
over

$391

12 to 24

25 to 39

Age

40 to 59

60 and
over

FIGURE 2

Involvement in Outdoor
Recreation, by Sex

FIGURE 4

Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by

Family Income

Average number of

activities
8

Male

Female

Average number of
activity -days per year

44_

Male

Female

Average number of
activities

Less than
$5,000

$5,000 to
14,999

$15,000 to
24,999

$25,000 to
49,999

$50,000
or more

Average annual expenditures
on outdoor recreation

$396

Male

Female

FIGURE 3

Involvement in Outdoor

Recreation, by Race

Average number of
activities

White

Black

Average number of
activity - days per year

White

Black

Average number of
activity -days per year

Less than
$5,000

$5,000 to
14,999

$15,000 to
24,999

$25,000 to
49,999

$50,000
or more

Average annual expenditures
on outdoor recreation

$536

Average annual expenditures
on outdoor recreation

$371

White

Black

Less than
$5,000

$5,000 to
14,999

$15,000 to
24,999

$25,000 to
49,999

$50,000
or more

FIGURE 5

Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Education

Average number of
activities

Less than
high school

High
school

Less than 4
years college

4 or more
years college

Less than
high school

Average number of
activity -days per year

High
school

Less than 4
years college

■

4 or more
years college

Less than
high school

Average annual expenditures
on outdoor recreation

$419

$363

$275

High
school

Less than 4
years college

$450

4 or more
years college

FIGURE 6

Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Number
of Cars Owned by Household

Average number of
activities

4 or more

Average number of
activity -days per year

4 or more

Average annual expenditures
on outdoor recreation

$378

$399

$392

None

4 or more

FIGURE 7

Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Size

of Locality of Residence (Population)

Average number of
activities

Less than
5,000

5,000 to
24,999

25,000 to
49,999

50,000 to
999,999

1,000,000
or more

Average number of
activity -days per year

Less than
5,000

5,000 to
24,999

25,000 to
49,999

50,000 to
999,999

1,000,000
or more

$385

Average annual expenditures
on outdoor recreation

$373

Less than

5,000 to

25,000 to

50,000 to

1 ,000,000

5,000

24,999

49,999

999,999

or more

CHAPTER 1

Americans and the
Outdoors

As in previous nationwide recreation
surveys, respondents were given a list of
outdoor recreation activities and asked to
identify the ones in which they had engaged
one or more times during the previous
12 months. Participation during the 3
months immediately prior to the survey was
also ascertained. Before examining the list,
the respondents were asked to name any
outdoor activities (up to a limit of three)
which they particularly enjoyed. Those who
named one or more such activities were
invited to select, from further listings, any
applicable reasons for liking those activities
and/or constraints upon their favored
pursuits.

Analysis of the resulting data yields certain
measures or indicators of the breadth and
depth of involvement with outdoor recrea-
tion exhibited by the United States popula-
tion and its various segments. Table 1 lists
two such indicators of breadth, two of
depth, and three of change. What do these
indicators tell about people's involvement in
outdoor pursuits?

Respondents participated in an average of
7.2 of the 36 outdoor activities listed in the
survey. They cited an average of 1.7 pur-
suits as particularly enjoyed and logged an
estimated 37 activity days' of the listed ac-
tivities during the 12 months prior to the
interview— for all of which they spent about
$355 each.

INDICATORS OF OUTDOOR
RECREATION INVOLVEMENT

Seven measures or indicators are
presented in table 1 and described here.
They will be utilized in the next section to
examine the similarities and differences in

the outdoor recreation involvements of
Americans of various backgrounds.

Breadth Indicators

The first two columns in table 1 are in-
dicators of the breadth of an individual's (or
a grouping of individuals') involvement in
outdoor recreation pursuits. The first column
lists the average number of outdoor activities
(from the 36 listed in the questionnaire)
which the respondent claimed to have done
once or more in the previous 12 months.
The second column is the average number
of activities (a maximum of three) cited by
the respondent as "particularly enjoyed."

Depth Indicators

For 22 of the 36 activities listed on the
NRS questionnaire, participants (respondents
who said they did the activity once or more
in the prior 12 months) were asked to give
three additional items of information. They
were asked to estimate the number of dif-
ferent days on which they did the activity
during the prior 3 months and during the
prior 12 months, and their age when they
started participating in the activity. From this
information, one of the indicators of depth
(and one of change) were derived.

The last two columns of table 1 are in-
dicators of activity depth or of the commit-
ment of the respondenfs personal resources
of time and money to outdoor recreation
pursuits. The sixth column lists "activity-days,"
an indicator of time commitment derived
from the respondent's estimates of the
number of different days on which they did
each activity during the previous 12
months— summed over all activities in which
they engaged.2

'Much less than 37 calendar days. An "activity-day*
was counted for each different calendar day on which
the respondent engaged in a given activity, even if
for a very short time

2A conservative estimate based on the midpoints of
the first three ranges from which the respondent
chose an estimate (A = 1-2 days, B = 3-10 days,
C = 11-25 days) and the low point of the highest
range (D = more than 25 days).

The result is an indicator of time commit-
ment which is useful in drawing com-
parisons among activities and between
population segments. It should not be
interpreted as the number of full days com-
mitted to outdoor recreation, nor even as
the number of calendar days on which any
recreation took place. An activity-day was
generated for any calendar day on which
the respondent did the activity, even if for a
very short time. Moreover, more than one
activity-day could be generated per calendar
day— one for each activity engaged in on
that day. Very likely, the average American
commits much less than 37 full calendar
days to outdoor recreation annually.

The final column is the respondents'
estimate of their annual (prior 12 months)
dollar expenditure on outdoor recreation as
defined in the survey.3

Change Indicators

To permit the estimation of short-run
trends, respondents were asked to name
any outdoor recreation activities they had
stopped doing in the 2 years prior to the in-
terview, and any they anticipated starting in
the next 2 years. These items were used,
along with the respondent's age at the time
they started the activity, to generate the
three indicators of short-run change
presented in the third, fourth, and fifth col-
umns of table 1.

Activities recently started by respondents
were identified by subtracting their age when
they began the activity from their age at the
time of the interview. If the difference was
two or less, the person was counted as
having started the activity in the prior
2 years. The figures in the third column are
the averages of the number of such recently
started activities for each respondent.

'Outdoor recreation" was implicitly defined by
exposing the respondent to the activity list, various
an-ays of outdoor locales, etc. See questionnaire.

The numbers of activities which respond-
ents said they had stopped in the prior
2 years or expected to start in the next
2 years were used to derive the averages in
the fourth and fifth columns of the table.
Although the interviewer asked for antici-
pated new activities which the respondent
had never done before, many persons cited
activities which they said they had stopped
earlier. Since such instances bear little rela-
tion to trends, they were dropped from the
data— for both stopping and expecting to
start — before the averages were derived.

The seven outdoor recreation indicators or
yardsticks in table 1 will now be applied to
selected categories of the United States
population.

THE VARIETY OF AMERICANS
AND THEIR RECREATION
INVOLVEMENTS

In table 1, the NRS respondents are
divided into numerous categories based on
14 criteria or demographic characteristics —
sex, age, etc. This information about each
respondent was derived from the National
Crime Survey interviews (as many as seven)
which were conducted during the 3 years
preceding the NRS interview. Therefore, no
demographic questions will be found in the
NRS questionnaire in appendix C of this
report. The recreation involvements of these
population segments will now be examined
on the basis of the seven indicators listed in
the table, supplemented by information
derived from succeeding tables, especially
table 4 which contains the activity participa-
tion rates.

Caution should be exercised in inferring
causality from the associations between
population characteristics and patterns of
recreation involvement. Even the associa-
tions which are evident in the table may
reflect, in part, more deeply underlying fac-
tors. For instance, widowed, divorced, or
separated status is associated with a more
drastic reduction in recreation involvement
than would be expected from the loss of a
spouse. Widows and widowers are, however,
generally in the older age categories
associated with greatly reduced outdoor ac-
tivity. Also, divorce and separation are often
associated with single parenting— a further
constraint on free time pursuits. More such
instances will be pointed out throughout this
report.

Four of the 14 demographic characteristics
examined here— place of residence (SMSA),
household members under 12, occupation,
and hours worked per week— were found to
be associated with rather modest differences
in outdoor recreation behavior and will,
therefore, be dropped from the tables in the
rest of the report. An exception will be
found in chapter 5, where the presence of
young children and the number of hours in
the work week are found to be important in

understanding the changing allocations of
time and money to outdoor recreation.

Sex

The outdoors is no longer, as in previous
centuries, a predominantly male domain.
Women still exhibit a somewhat lesser
tendency to commit time and money to
outdoor pursuits, but their participation pat-
terns are substantially similar to those of
men— even in such "rugged" activities as
horseback riding and skiing. Exceptions are
fishing, golf, and (especially) hunting, in
which the traditional male predominance
persists.

Age

As in all previous nationwide surveys of
outdoor recreation activity, increasing age is
associated with a marked decline in all in-
dicators of involvement with outdoor pur-
suits. This is especially severe in the age 60
and over category of our sample, 30 per-
cent of which claimed to have participated
in no outdoor recreation activities whatever
during the prior 12 months. Chapter 6 of
this report is a detailed examination of aging
and outdoor recreation.

Place of Residence

The U.S. Office of Management and
Budget has established 318 Standard
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs) in the
United States, which typically consist of an
aggregation of towns and counties surround-
ing a central city.4

Though the match is far from perfect,
central cities are generally urban in
character, areas within SMSAs but not in
central cities tend to be suburban, and areas
not in any SMSA are mostly rural. Rural-
suburban-urban differences in culture,
preference, and opportunity have been
thought to be major influences on outdoor
recreation behavior. The NRS data do not
support this belief. There is a general, but
slight, tendency of suburbanites to rank
highest on the indicators, followed by rural
residents and city people. Rural people
predominate, however, in hunting, fishing,
snowmobiling, and off-road vehicle driving.

Education

Increasing years of education are
associated with substantially higher values for
all outdoor involvement indicators and with
increased participation in most activities. The
principal exceptions are fishing and hunting,
in which college graduates among our
respondents engaged at lower rates than the
population average. In addition to fishing
and hunting, respondents of less-than-high-

'Status as of January 1, 1984.

school education tended to participate in
walking, picnics, pleasure driving, and
visiting events and attractions. Twenty-nine
percent of the non-high school graduates
said they did nothing at all in outdoor
recreation during the 12 months prior to the
interview.

Race

Of the racial categories recorded in the
National Crime Survey, only two— White
and Black— were sufficiently well represented
in the NRS sample to permit a detailed
analysis. A third "other" category consisting
mainly of Native American and Asian-
American respondents is examined in
chapter 5. Blacks are lower (usually much
lower) than Whites on all indicators and all
activity participation rates except outdoor
team sports and "running or jogging." Other
activities with substantial Black participation
include bicycling, tennis, swimming, fishing,
walking, picnics, pleasure driving, sight-
seeing, and visiting events and attractions.
Black respondents started an average of
0.26 new activities during the 2 years prior
to the survey, as compared to 0.39 new
starts for Whites (table 1). Since the
reported quitting rates for the two races are
similar, this suggests that the Black-White
gap in most activities probably widened dur-
ing that period— at least for the age-12-plus
population.

Annual Family Income

As in previous surveys, higher incomes
are associated with higher rankings on out-
door recreation indicators including, as might
be expected, dollar expenditures. This is
consistent with the finding (table 10) that
20 percent of all respondents cite "not
enough money" as a constraint on their out-
door recreation participation.

Number of Persons in
Household

Our indicators rise with increasing
numbers of household members up to a size
of four. Then they flatten out or decline in
the highest (five or more) category. The
same is true for most of the activity par-
ticipation rates. It should be remembered,
however, that many of the one- and two-
person households consist of older persons
who tend to be much less active.

Household Members Under
Age 12

The number of small children seems to
have little effect on outdoor recreation
indicators or participation rates. However,
the data on reasons for changes in time and
money allocations, analyzed in chapter 5,
suggest that the birth-through-age-11

category is too broad to reveal the relation-
ship of the presence of children to the
recreation involvements of family members.
A severe drop in family activity in the first
few years of the child's life appears to be
followed by a rise in later childhood.

Marital Status

The single (never married) respondents in
the survey had the highest participation rates
and indicators of involvement, followed by
the marrieds, and (at a distance) by the
widowed, divorced, or separated. For many

persons, however, these life cycle stages
parallel their progression from youth through
old age. Hence, the implications of being
married, single, etc., for outdoor recreation
remain unclear.

Household Cars Owned

The availability of increasing numbers of
cars and similar motor vehicles in a house-
hold is strongly associated with more out-
door recreation involvement. Especially
dramatic is the severe drop in activity in the

no-car category. Part of this may be ex-
plained by the association of non-car-
ownership with poverty and old age. No-car
status is, however, often also associated with
youth, which is strongly related to high par-
ticipation. The strong propensity of young
people to cite "inadequate transportation or
too far to travel" as a constraint on their
recreation activities (table 10) suggests a
relationship with automobile access which
warrants more attention from recreation
providers.

Table 1. Outdoor Recreation Involvement by Demographic Characteristic

Average number of activities

Participated

once or more

in prior 12

Demographic characteristic

Particularly

enjoyed

(maximum

months 3 activities)

Started in

prior 2

years

Stopped in

prior 2

years

Expect to
start in next

Average

activity-days

participation

in prior 12

2 years months1

Average

expenditure

in prior 12

months

(dollars)3

Total sample

Sex

Male

Female

Age

12 to 24

25 to 39

40 to 59

60 and over

Place of residence

SMSA,4 central city

SMS A, not central city

Not SMSA

Education

Less than high school

High school

Less than 4 years of college . .

4 or more years of college

Race

White

Black and other

Annual family income (dollars)

Under 5,000

5,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 or more

Number of persons in household

5 or more

Household members under 12

4 or more

See footnotes at end of table.

1.7

.37

.14

.25

355

1.9

.38

.14

.24

396

1.5

.36

.14

.27

307

2.2

.89

.09

.39

236

2.0

.30

.16

.31

375

1.5

.13

.15

.19

413

2.0

.08

.16

.07

391

1.5

.30

.15

.27

336

1.8

.38

.14

.27

383

1.8

.42

.13

.22

333

.10

.14

.10

275

1.6

.22

.14

.23

363

1.9

.26

.18

.30

419

2.1

.29

.20

.32

450

1.8

.39

.14

.24

371

1.4

.26

.11

.32

211

1.2

.27

.14

.23

200

1.4

.27

.16

.19

260

1.8

.38

.14

.27

335

2.0

.50

.13

.30

430

2.2

.40

.13

.31

536

1.2

.17

.16

.17

324

1.6

.24

.16

.22

399

1.8

.37

.17

.29

345

1.9

.57

.12

.31

354

1.9

.51

.09

.26

311

1.6

.36

.14

.25

362

1.9

.42

.14

.24

346

1.9

.39

.12

.31

353

1.9

.42

.12

.24

324

1.8

.25

.13

.25

229

Table 1. Outdoor Recreation Involvement by Demographic Characteristic — Continued

Average number of activities

Demographic characteristic

Average

Participated

Particularly

activity-days

expenditure

once or more

enjoyed

Started in

Stopped in

Expect to

participation

in prior 12

(maximum

prior 2

start in next

in prior 12

months

3 activities)

years

2 years

months1 *

(dollars)3

1.7

.22

.16

.21

402

1.2

.14

.17

322

2.0

.57

.11

.39

245

1.0

.20

.13

.18

189

1.5

.32

.15

.22

290

1.8

.37

.16

.27

378

2.0

.45

.09

.32

399

2.1

.49

.12

.25

392

1.8

.31

.15

.27

376

1.8

.25

.13

.30

394

2.0

.42

.14

.32

258

1.1

.17

.13

.17

312

2.1

.76

.07

.38

200

1.0

.10

.32

.03

274

1.1

.12

.15

.07

423

1.8

.43

.23

.28

290

2.1

.35

.19

.30

416

1.9

.25

.14

.27

492

1.9

.38

.18

.27

388

1.7

.33

.17

.32

322

1.9

.26

.17

.18

385

1.6

.24

.12

.22

340

1.9

.34

.09

.29

255

1.8

.37

.10

.37

274

1.7

.41

.20

.29

253

1.4

.27

.14

.22

317

1.9

.52

.12

.30

297

1.8

.34

.17

.31

341

1.8

.26

.15

.25

388

1.9

.25

.15

.24

430

1.6

.41

.15

.21

385

1.8

.39

.16

.22

352

1.7

.40

.14

.33

373

1.6

.29

.14

.26

348

1.3

.25

.16

.23

295

1.6

.39

.13

.23

313

1.8

.37

.15

.27

370

1.6

.33

.14

.23

334

1.8

.43

.20

.32

414

Marital status

Married

Widowed, divorced, separated

Never married

Household cars owned

None

4 or more

Employment status

At work

With job, not at work

Unemployed

Keeping house

Going to school

Unable to work

Retired

Other

Occupation

Professional

Manager

Salesperson

Clerical worker

Craftsperson

Operative

Laborer

Service worker

Other

Number of hours worked

None

1 to 20

21 to 39

More than 40

Size of locality of residence (population)

Under 5,000

5,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 999,999

1,000,000 or more

Region

Northeast

North Central

South

West

'Conservative estimate based on midpoints of ranges of days selected by respondents.
2On a given calendar day, a person generates an activity-day for each activity participated in.

3Average of midpoints of ranges from which the respondent selected an estimated expenditure level for outdoor recreation. See question 6h in the question-
naire, appendix C.

'Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Region

The United States is divided, for Census
purposes, into four regions— Northeast,
North Central, South, and West— as
depicted in figure 8. The NRS respondents
are identified with the region in which they
lived at the time of the interview. The region
where the cited outdoor activities actually
took place is not available from the survey
data. In many cases, the participation cited
by the respondents probably took place out-
side their region of residence. Examples are
ice and snow sports by southern residents
and winter outdoor swimming, golf, etc., by
northern residents. With few exceptions,
however, regional differences in outdoor
recreation involvement among the NRS
respondents tended to be modest. Overall,
the participation rates and involvement indi-
cators tended to be lowest in the South and
highest in the North Central States. The
South was understandably very low in ice
and snow sports participation, but led the
country in hunting and fishing. The North-
east and North Central regions together led
in most winter sports, with the Northeast
topping the list in ice skating. An exception
was downhill skiing, in which the West has
taken a strong lead. The West was also
preeminent in all forms of camping—
including backpacking— as well as in day

hiking. The North Central States led in
motorboating and shared with the Northeast
a strong lead in canoeing and kayaking.

Employment Status

The involvement indicators and participa-
tion rates suggest that going to school and
being unemployed are the conditions most
conducive to outdoor recreation (but not to
spending money on outdoor recreation). In
both cases, youth may have something to
do with it.

Number of Hours Worked

The number of hours in the respondent's
work week was derived from the response
to a National Crime Survey question which
asked, "How many hours did you work last
week at all jobs?" Since "not enough time" is
the most frequently cited constraint on
recreation activity (in this and previous
surveys), one would expect long work
weeks to be associated with a lack of
recreation involvement. According to our in-
dicators, the reverse is true, although
involvement flattens out at the longest work
week (more than 40 hours). Little meaning
attaches to the "none" category, which
includes a great diversity of life conditions.

Size of Place of Residence

Population si2e, as a measure of the
character of the respondent's community, is
more strongly associated with outdoor
recreation than was "place of residence"
(SMSA) discussed earlier. And the associa-
tion is negative. Residence in a city of
1 million or more people appears to be
especially inconducive to outdoor recreation.
On the basis of these observations, size of
place of residence will be retained as a
demographic characteristic in the remainder
of this report, and place of residence
(SMSA) will be dropped.

SUMMARY

This chapter has examined the extent to
which various kinds of Americans pursue
the outdoor life in their free time. The
demographic segments of the Nationwide
Recreation Survey sample will be examined
later from the standpoints of trip taking,
use of national parks and other recreation
areas, attitudes towards fees and other
management issues, and the changing
allocations of time and money to outdoor
recreation. First, however, the outdoor
recreation phenomenon will be examined on
the basis of the individual activities.

FIGURE 8.

Census Regions

CHAPTER 2

Examining
Outdoor Recreation
Activities

The core of every nationwide recreation
survey thus far is the part dealing with the
individual outdoor recreation activities. This
chapter will examine the 36 activities listed
on the 1982-83 NRS (plus a few others) on
the basis of dimensions or "yardsticks" de-
rived from the survey data.

Table 2 presents the current (1982-83)
status of the 36 activities with regard to
three national summary statistics: the
12-month participation rate, selection by
respondents as "particularly enjoyed," and
the activity's implicit number of participants
among the United States non-institutionalized
population 12 years old or older. Table 3
compares, where possible, the current partic-
ipation rates with those derived from the
1960 and 1965 National Recreation Sur-
veys. The remaining tables in this chapter
present a more detailed picture of the cur-
rent activity data as well as constraints on
participation and reasons for liking activities.
Finally, there will be a brief narrative treat-
ment of each activity's characteristics as
inferred from this and other surveys.

With respect to 11 of the listed activities,
the Forest Service, a major NRS cooperator,
sponsored the collection of detailed trip
information— principally travel, cost, and
type of environment in which the activity
took place. These trip aspects will be treated
in chapter 3.

ACTIVITY LIST

Every recreation survey is limited, by fac-
tors of cost, respondent attention span, etc.,
in the number of activities it can ask about.
The 36 outdoor pursuits on the 1982-83
NRS questionnaire were chosen in a lengthy
design process in which more than twice
that number were considered at one stage
or another. The principal criteria by which
the number was reduced to fit the survey's
resources were:

• Comparability to the activity lists of the

1960 and 1965 National Recreation
Surveys, and
• The information needs of the survey's
sponsoring agencies.

In addition to the 36 listed pursuits, cer-
tain others will be examined in this report.
Some of these are combinations of the listed
activities. Others are unlisted activities cited
in response to open-ended questions.

Combined Activities

Like most phenomena, outdoor recreation
can be subdivided into a few large cate-
gories or many smaller ones. In four
cases— boating, swimming, camping, and
skiing, both approaches were used. Partici-
pation in boating, for instance, was recorded
if the respondent claimed to have gone
canoeing or kayaking, or sailing, or motor-
boating, or waterskiing, or engaged in any
other boating or watercraft sport. Swimming
was counted if the respondent chose "swim-
ming in an outdoor pool" or "any other out-
door swimming" (or both, of course) from
the list. Camping was similarly synthesized
from the four camping categories (including
backpacking) listed on the questionnaire.
Finally, either "downhill skiing" or "cross
country skiing or ski touring" was counted as
"snow skiing."

Unlisted Activities From Open-
Ended Questions

Respondents were given four oppor-
tunities to cite unlisted activities. The results
of two of these open-ended questions will
be found in table A-l in appendix A. The
first such question, in which the respondents
were asked to cite up to three outdoor ac-
tivities they particularly enjoyed, was asked
before the activity list was introduced. The
people in the survey cited a great many
such activities, some of which— notably

Softball— exceeded most of the listed ac-
tivities on this popularity yardstick.

The second opportunity closely followed
the introduction of the list. After the
respondents were asked which of the listed
activities they had engaged in once or more
in the prior 12 months, they were asked:
"During the past 12 months, did you take
part in any other outdoor recreation activ-
ity?" A maximum of four such activities was
recorded, but relatively few respondents
cited even one. Most appeared to think that
the lengthy list exhausted the survey's area
of interest. Therefore the participation rates
for the unlisted activities (table A-l in appen-
dix A) are definitely not comparable with
those of the listed pursuits.

YARDSTICKS

In addition to the trip information to be
addressed in the next chapter, nine dimen-
sions or yardsticks will be used to describe
the status of the listed activities and illustrate
trends. Not all of the yardsticks are available
for all the activities, as will be seen.

Population Participation Rate

For each listed pursuit (as noted earlier)
the respondents were asked to indicate
whether they engaged in the activity during
the 12 months prior to the interview. The
percentage answering yes is the population
participation rate for that activity. These
percentages are listed for the whole national
sample of respondents in table 2 and for
each demographic segment in table 4. For
those activities similar enough to be com-
pared with the 1960 and 1965 NRS, the
comparison of participation rates for each of
those years is made in table 3. These are
single-season rates (summer in most cases)
since 12-month rates could not be derived
from the earlier data.

Table 2. Status of Activities: Participation Rates, Choice as Favorites, and Number of Participants

Activity

Total who said they participated
in prior year1 (percent)

Participants who said they
enjoyed activity2 (percent)

Implicit number of participants
12 yrs. or older (millions)

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golfing

Tennis outdoors

Outdoor team sports

Other outdoor games or sports

Boating

Canoeing or kayaking

Sailing

Motorboating

Other boating or watercraft sport

Waterskiing

Swimming outdoors

Swimming in an outdoor pool

Other outdoor swimming

Fishing

Hunting

Camping

Backpacking

Camping in developed campgrounds

Camping in primitive campgrounds

Other camping

Day hiking

Walking for pleasure

Running or jogging

Birdwatching or other nature study activities . .
Picnicking

Driving for pleasure

Sightseeing

Off-road vehicle driving (includes motorcycles

but not snowmobiles)

Ice skating

Snow skiing

Downhill skiing

Cross-country skiing or ski touring

Snowmobiling

Sledding

Other outdoor winter activities

Visiting zoos, fairs, or amusement parks

Attending outdoor sports events

Attending outdoor concerts, plays, or other

outdoor performances

Other activities (not on list)

No participation

32
9
13
17
24
13

28
8
6

19
6

9
53
43
32
34
12

14
53
26
12
48

48
46

11
6
9
6
3

3
10

4
50
40

511

40
46
45
72

(3)

16
16
19

(3)
(3)

32
18
(3)
(3)
58
75

51
15
(3)
(3)
(3)

41
42

9
10
49

(3)
(3)

(3)
41
42

61
17
24
32
45
24

53
15
11
35
11

17
99
80
59
64
22

26
100
49
22
90

90
86

20
12
16
12
6

20
95
75

521

— Not ascertained for certain activities.

'Percentage of the total sample of respondents who said they participated in the activity once or more during the prior 12 months. This is the annual participa-
tion rate.

Respondents were asked to name up to three activities that they "particularly enjoyed doing."

3Eleven activities — largely aggregates or subsets for analytical purposes— were not selected as "particularly enjoyed." Respondents were asked to name their
favorites before the activity list was introduced.

"May not have been perceived as outdoor recreation activities by some respondents.

5Non-participants.

Tabic 3. Activity Participation Trends, 1960 to 1982

(Percentage of respondents participating)

Activity

Summer
1960

Summer
1965

Summer
1982

Bicycling

Horseback riding ....

Fishing

Canoeing or kayaking

Sailing

Swimming

Camping

Hunting1

Skiing2

'Hunting during fall season.
2Skiing during winter.

NOTE: Percentage of respondents who said they participated once or more in selected activities during
the 3 months before the interview, June, July, and August 1960, 1965, and 1982.

Favorite Activities

Choice of an activity as "particularly en-
joyed" (maximum of three per respondent)
or "most enjoyed" (limited to one activity) is
an indicator of depth of involvement with,
or commitment to, the activity. The percent-
age of participants who selected each of the
36 listed activities as particularly enjoyed will
be found in the second column of table 2.
For 29 activities, table 5 presents the
percentages of all respondents, and of par-
ticipants, who said they "particularly enjoyed"
or "most enjoyed" the activity. The
respondents named their favorites before
seeing the NRS list of 36 activities. They
could choose any activity they did outdoors,
and they selected many that were not listed
on the questionnaire (notably softball— see
table A-l). These unlisted activities were
classified into numerous categories during
the survey coding process. The percentages
of the respondents who chose each of these
as particularly enjoyed will be found in
table A-l in appendix A.

Besides choosing many unlisted activities,
the respondents also failed to choose seven
of the listed ones. This was no surprise,
since some of the activities on the list were
artificial constructs foreign to the thought
processes of the recreating public. Camping
interests, for instance, should not be
dismayed that nobody expressed spon-
taneous enthusiasm for going "other camp-
ing" Also, many respondents may not have
perceived certain pursuits as "outdoor recrea-
tion" before seeing the list. This may ac-
count, in part, for the infrequent choice of
such activities as pleasure driving and
sightseeing.

Implicit Number of Participants

For each of the 36 activities in table 2,
the final figure is the implicit number of par-

ticipants in the United States population (in
millions). These estimates are of interest to
many data users, but they are hazardous
numbers and should be used with the
greatest care. Their derivation is deceptively
simple: basically they are what is obtained if
the population participation rate is multiplied
by 188,092,000— the Census Bureau's
estimate of the number of noninstitution-
alized persons 12 years old or older in the
United States population at the time of the
survey.

These population totals tend to create an
appearance of greater accuracy than has ac-
tually been achieved.1 Users of these figures
should bear in mind that —

1. In addition to sampling error, recall error,
nonresponse error, etc., these figures are
now subject to the additional sources of
error affecting the intercensal estimates of
the number of persons in various
segments of the United States population.

2. Even the target or "true" population totals
are not the total numbers of fishermen,
etc., in the United States, but rather the
numbers 12 years old or over. The
behavior of the under-12 years old group
affects the meaning of the different activ-
ity totals in very different ways. The
"implicit total" of persons who went swim-
ming is a much more conservative indi-
cator of the "real" total of United States
residents who go swimming than is the
corresponding "implicit total" for golfing.

Demographic Profiles of
Participants

The population participation rates in
table 4 are most useful as a source of activ-
ity profiles of the various segments of the
United States population. They address the
question, "What are American women,
young people, rural people, etc. doing
nowadays in the outdoors?" Using the same
data— the respondents' answer that they had
gone bicycling, etc., during the prior
12 months— it is also possible to derive a
demographic profile of a specific activity.
This information, presented in table 6, ad-
dresses the question, "What kinds of people
are bicycling nowadays?" Such a profile is
derived by first separating out the people
who say they did the activity (the partici-
pants) and then determining what percent-
age were women, young people, rural
people, etc. This was done for the 24 listed
activities for which at least 550 participants
were identified among the 5,757
respondents in the survey sample.

Annual Volume of Activity Per
Participant

As noted in chapter 1, persons who iden-
tified themselves as participants in 22 of the
36 listed activities were asked to estimate
the number of different days on which they
did the activity during the 3-month and
12-month periods preceding the month of
the interview.2 Table 7 lists the percentages
of the participants in each activity (say
bicyclists) who gave various estimates of the
number of different days on which they did
the activity during the prior 12 months.
Note that the percentage base changes from
the total sample of 5,757 respondents in the
first column to participants in the activity
(however many there happened to be) in
the remaining columns.

Convenient activities — those which can be
done close to home with little preparation or
costly equipment— tend to have the highest
estimates of activity-days per participant.
Birdwatching (etc.), team sports, and bicy-
cling, in which more than a third of the
participants claimed they logged in excess of
25 days per year, stand out in this regard.

Monthly Volume of Activity, by
Season

In tables 8 and 9, the participants' (say
bicyclists') estimate of the number of different
days they did the activity during the

'Since percentages are inherently abstractions from
reality, it may be easier to keep in mind what they
imply and— more importantly— do not imply.

2Due to scheduling difficulties, it was necessary to
postpone the post-fall interviews from December 1982
to January 1983. Therefore, the fall season was, in
fact, 4 months long (September through December,
1982); and the spring season was 2 months (April
and May, 1983). To compensate for these discrepan-
cies, the seasonal estimates of activity-days were
placed on a per month basis. (See tables 8 and 9.)

Table 4. Activity Participation, by Demographic Categories

(Percentage participating)

Sex

Age

Education1

Activity

Total
sample

Male

Female

12 to
24

25 to
39

40 to
59

60 or
more

Less

than

high

school

High school

but less than

4 years of

college

4 or more

years of

college

Percentage of total sample
included in each category . . .

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golfing

Tennis outdoors

Outdoor team sports

Other outdoor games or sports

Boating

Canoeing or kayaking

Sailing

Motorboating

Other boating or watercraft
sport

Waterskiing

Swimming outdoors

Swimming in an outdoor
pool

Other outdoor swimming . .

Fishing

Hunting

Camping

Backpacking

Camping in developed

campgrounds

Camping in primitive

campgrounds

Other camping

Day hiking

Walking for pleasure

Running or jogging

Birdwatching or other nature

study activities

Picnics

Driving for pleasure

Sightseeing

Off-road vehicle driving
(includes motorcycles but not

snowmobiles)

Ice skating

Snow skiing

Downhill skiing

Cross-country skiing or ski
touring

Snowmobiling

Sledding

Other outdoor winter activities
Visiting zoos, fairs, or

amusement parks

Attending outdoor sports

events

Attending outdoor concerts,

plays, or other outdoor

performances

Other activities (not on list) . . .
No participation

100

32
9
13
17
24
13

28
8
6

9
53

43
32
34
12

10
4

14
53
26

12
48

48
46

11
6
9
6

10
4

4
11

33
8
20
18
30
15

11
55

43
34
47
22

27
6

11
5

15
45
30

47
45

25
5
9

(x)

28
8
12
13
18
9

8
51

40
30
34
12

9
5

13
56
20

13
51

54
50

10
4
6
5

3
7
3

24
4
9

37
9
24
31
23
15

41
13
14
25

12
65

40
30

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 4. Activity Participation, by Demographic Categories — Continued

(Percentage participating)

Activity

Total
sample

White

Race Annual family income (dollars)

5,000 15,000 25,000 50,000

Under to to to and

Black 5,000 14,999 24,999 49,999 over

Number of persons in household

5 or
12 3 4 more

Percentage of total sample

included in each category . . 100 89 11 10 30 27 28 5 11 29 20 20 19

Bicycling 32 33 29 23 24 35 41 42 19 24 35 44 39

Horseback riding 9 10 4 7 6 9 11 15 6 6 9 14 11

Golfing 13 14 3 6 6 13 20 27 9 13 13 17 11

Tennis outdoors 17 17 13 12 11 18 22 37 12 14 18 23 18

Outdoor team sports 24 23 27 22 19 25 29 28 14 15 26 31 34

Other outdoor games or sports 13 13 7 11 9 13 16 15 7 9 13 18 16

Boating 28 31 6 16 20 27 39 43 19 26 31 34 28

Canoeing or kayaking 8 9 1 6 5 8 12 10 5 7 8 11 10

Sailing 6 7 1 4 3 5 9 14 6 7 6 6 6

Motorboating 19 21 3 10 13 18 27 32 12 17 20 24 19

Other boating or watercraft

sport 6 6 1 3 4 5 7 13 4 5 7 7 5

Waterskiing 9 11 (x) 5 6 10 13 14 5 7 11 12 9

Swimming outdoors 53 55 32 34 39 56 67 71 31 42 59 67 60

Swimming in an outdoor

pool 43 45 27 26 29 45 57 62 24 33 47 55 50

Other outdoor swimming . . 32 34 11 23 23 34 40 43 19 24 36 40 37

Fishing 34 35 27 24 30 38 38 35 19 30 36 42 38

Hunting 12 12 7 8 12 14 14 8 5 10 13 13 15

Camping 24 27 6 15 19 29 31 25 14 21 27 30 28

Backpacking 5 5 1 3 3 5 7 5 4 4 5 6 5

Camping in developed

campgrounds 17 19 4 8 13 20 25 17 8 15 20 20 20

Camping in primitive

campgrounds 10 11 2 7 7 12 13 9 6 8 10 13 10

Other camping 4 5 2 3 4 5 6 22 4 5 5 4

Day hiking 14 15 3 10 10 13 18 25 10 14 14 18 13

Walking for pleasure 53 54 49 45 46 54 61 62 47 52 57 56 53

Running or jogging 26 26 30 21 20 27 33 37 17 18 27 36 34

Birdwatching or other nature

study activities 12 13 5 10 10 12 14 19 12 15 10 12 8

Picnicking 48 49 42 36 41 53 56 58 34 41 55 57 52

Driving for pleasure 48 50 35 29 43 53 55 60 37 48 55 52 43

Sightseeing 46 47 36 27 38 48 57 67 35 46 51 52 40

Off-road vehicle driving

(includes motorcycles but not

snowmobiles) 11 12 3 9 8 10 15 13 6 8 13 14 13

Ice skating 6 7 1 5 3 7 10 11 3 3 6 10 11

Snow skiing 9 10 1 5 5 7 13 21 7 9 8 12 7

Downhill skiing 6 7 (x) 4 4 5 9 18 6 7 6 9 5

Cross-country skiing or ski

touring 3 4 (x) 2 2 3 5 8 2 3 3 5 3

Snowmobiling 3 3 (x) 2 2 4 4 4 1 3 4 4 4

Sledding 10 12 2 9 6 12 13 15 3 5 10 18 15

Other outdoor winter activities 4 5 1 4 3 4 6 332565
Visiting zoos, fairs, or

amusement parks 50 51 40 32 40 55 62 62 33 42 54 62 57

Attending outdoor sports

events 40 41 33 24 30 43 51 61 23 33 43 49 47

Attending outdoor concerts,

plays, or other outdoor

performances 25 26 21 17 21 24 32 38 23 24 28 27 24

Other activities (not on list) ... 4 4 1 4 3 4 4 945444

No participation 11 10 18 28 18 7 4 3 25 15 7 6 7

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 4. Activity Participation, by Demographic Categories — Continued

(Percentage participating)

Marital status

Household cars owned

Region

Activity

Widowed,
Total divorced, Never

sample Marrried separated married

None

4 or
more

North
North- Cen-

east tral South

West

Percentage of total sample
included in each category . . .

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golfing

Tennis outdoors

Outdoor team sports

Other outdoor games or sports

Boating

Canoeing or kayaking

Sailing

Motorboating

Other boating or watercraft
sport

Waterskiing

Swimming outdoors

Swimming in an outdoor
pool

Other outdoor swimming . .

Fishing

Hunting

Camping

Backpacking

Camping in developed

campgrounds

Camping in primitive

campgrounds

Other camping

Day hiking

Walking for pleasure

Running or jogging

Birdwatching or other nature
study activities

Picnicking

Driving for pleasure

Sightseeing

Off-road vehicle driving
(includes motorcycles but not
snowmobiles)

Ice skating

Snow skiing

Downhill skiing

Cross-country skiing or ski
touring

Snowmobiling

Sledding

Other outdoor winter activities
Visiting zoos, fairs, or

amusement parks

Attending outdoor sports

events

Attending outdoor concerts,

plays, or other outdoor

performances

Other activities (not on list) . . .
No participation

100

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 4. Activity Participation, by Demographic Categories — Continued

(Percentage participating)

Activity

Employment

status

Size of locality of residence
(population)

Keep-

Going

Total

Not at

Unem-

ing

Unable

Under

5,000-

25,000-

100,000

1,000,000

sample

work

ployed

house

school

to work

Retired

Other

5,000

24,000

99,999

999,999

or more

100

(x)

Percentage of total sample
included in each category

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golfing

Tennis outdoors

Outdoor team sports

Other outdoor games or sports . .

Boating

Canoeing or kayaking

Sailing

Motorboating

Other boating or watercraft
sport

Waterskiing

Swimming outdoors

Swimming in an outdoor pool .

Other outdoor swimming

Fishing

Hunting

Camping

Backpacking

Camping in developed

campgrounds

Camping in primitive

campgrounds

Other camping

Day hiking

Walking for pleasure

Running or jogging

Birdwatching or other nature

study activities

Picnicking

Driving for pleasure

Sightseeing

Off-road vehicle driving (includes

motorcycles but not

snowmobiles)

Ice skating

Snow skiing

Downhill skiing

Cross-country skiing or ski
touring

Snowmobiling

Sledding

Other outdoor winter activities . . .
Visiting zoos, fairs, or

amusement parks

Attending outdoor sports events .
Attending outdoor concerts,

plays, or other outdoor

performances

Other activities (not on list)

No participation

x Less than one half of one percent.

'Education percentages are based on respondents 22 years old or older.

previous season (monthly basis) is averaged
and listed. Table 8 presents these volume
estimates for the entire United States, and
table 9 gives the breakdown by the four
census regions for 12 of the 22 activities.
Seasonality is a major constraint on the pro-
duction of outdoor recreation experiences
per unit of resource capacity. That sea-
sonality patterns vary by region, as well as
among activities, may be seen in table 9.

Table 5. Favorite Activities

Constraints and Reasons for
Liking, by Activity

In chapter 1, it was noted that respond-
ents who cited an activity as particularly en-
joyed were asked to select, from a list, their
reasons for liking the activity and, if ap-
plicable, the constraints upon their pursuit of
it. In this chapter, the percentages citing
various constraints and reasons for liking

Activity

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golfing

Tennis outdoors

Outdoor team sports

Boating

Canoeing or kayaking . .

Sailing

Waterskiing

Swimming outdoors

Fishing

Hunting

Camping

Backpacking

Day hiking

Walking for pleasure ....

Running or jogging

Birdwatching or other

nature study activities . . .
Picnics

Driving for pleasure1

Sightseeing1

Off-road vehicle driving
(includes motorcycles but
not snowmobiles)

Ice skating

Snow skiing

Snowmobiling

Sledding

Visiting zoos, fairs, or

amusement parks'

Attending outdoor sports

events'

Attending outdoor

concerts, plays, or other

outdoor performances' . .

Total sample

Participants

Participated

once or more

Particularly

Most

in last year

enjoyed

(x)

x Less than one half of one percent.

'May not have been perceived as an "outdoor activity" by all respondents. The respondents were asked
to name the activities they "particularly enjoyed doing" and "most enjoyed doing" before they were shown
the activity list.

NOTE: Percentage of total sample and of participants who said they "particularly enjoyed" or "most
enjoyed" selected activities. Respondents who said they engaged in the activity once or more during the
prior 12 months were counted as participants.

outdoor recreation (tables 10 and 11) are
used to characterize selected outdoor ac-
tivities. This was only done for those
activities (10 in number) for which at least
300 self-identified enthusiasts were available
among the NRS respondents.

Short-Term Trend Indicators

The percentages of persons identified as
having started or stopped participating in
each activity in the prior 2 years, or who
indicated that they "expected they might*
take up the activity in the next 2 years,
were introduced in chapter 1 as yardsticks
for characterizing people. In this chapter
(table 12) these percentages are used to
■characterize activities. Since future expecta-
tions are speculative by comparison with
past behavior, the stopping and starting
percentages should not be used to derive an
indicator of net change. All three of these
short-term trend yardsticks are useful for
comparisons among activities. Even here,
however, caution is warranted. Many of the
activities on the list are typically begun in
early childhood. Hence, with a sample
restricted to persons 12 years of age or
older, the NRS data may not adequately
reveal the rate of recruitment of new partici-
pants. Similarly, death is an unmeasured
cause of participant loss.

ACTIVITIES -STATUS AND
TRENDS

The 36 listed activities— plus the four syn-
thetic aggregates (boating, outdoor swim-
ming, camping, and snow skiing)— will be
examined in order of their appearance in
tables 2 and 4. For the listed pursuits, this is
also the order in which they appear on the
questionnaire. For the sake of comparability,
the order established in the 1960 and 1965
National Recreation Surveys was retained
where practicable.

Bicycling

Bicycling has gained dramatically in the
past 22 years on every available yardstick,
more than tripling its population participation
rate (table 3). Especially noteworthy is the
increase in adult bicycling, which was prac-
tically insignificant in 1960. In the present
survey, cycling is part of the free-time reper-
toire of 37 percent of the young adults
(aged 25-39) and 22 percent of the middle-
aged (40-59 years). This greatly exceeds the
most sanguine predictions of the early
1960s. On the depth yardstick of percent-
age of participants who cited the activity as
particularly enjoyed, bicycling, with 30 per-
cent, topped all the casual activities— those
which can be enjoyed on the spur of the
moment with little cost or preparation.
Unsurprisingly, many (55 percent) of the

Table 6. Participation in Selected Activities, by Demographic Characteristics

(Percentage of participants')

Respondents who said they participated once or more in previous 12 months

Characteristic

Total

Bicycling

Golfing

Tennis,
outdoors

Team sports,
outdoors

Boating

Pool
swimming

Total

Sex

Male

Female

Age

12 to 24

25 to 39

40 to 59

60 or more

Education

Less than high school

High school

Less than 4 years of college .

4 or more years of college . .

Race

White

Black

Annual family income (dollars)

Under 5,000

5,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 or more

Number of persons in
household

5 or more

Marital status

Married

Widowed, divorced,

separated

Never married

Household cars owned

None

4 or more

Employment status

At work

Not at work

Unemployed

Keeping house

Going to school

Unable to work

Retired

Other

Size of place of residence

Under 5,000

5,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 999,999

1,000,000 or more

Region

Northeast

North Central

South

West

100

(x)

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 6. Participation in Selected Activities, by Demographic Characteristics — Continued

(Percentage of participants')

Respondents who said they participated once or more in previous 12 months

Characteristic

Total

Outdoor
swimming

Fishing

Camping in
developed Day Walking

Hunting campgrounds hiking for pleasure

Total

Sex

Male

Female

Age

12 to 24

25 to 39

40 to 59

60 or more

Education

Less than high school

High school

Less than 4 years of college . .

4 or more years of college

Race

White

Black

Annual family income (dollars)

Under 5,000

5,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 or more

Number of persons in
household

5 or more

Marital status

Married

Widowed, divorced, separated
Never married

Household cars owned

None

4 or more

Employment status

At work

Not at work

Unemployed

Keeping house

Going to school

Unable to work

Retired

Other

Size of place of residence

Under 5,000

5,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 999,999

1,000,000 or more

Region

Northeast

North Central

South

West

100

48
52

27
29
25
19

26
37
19

10
30
27
28
5

11
29
20
20
19

60
17
23

9
27
35
16
13

55
5
4

20
3
2
7
5

14
24
26
25
11

22
25
34
20

100

51
50

42
37

1
5

10
37
26
29

7
22
29
35

7
23
23
25
23

56
11
33

4
22
38
19
17

67
5
6

12
5

(x)
1
4

15
29
27
22

36
33
30
27

100

65
35

34
34
23
10

40
21

91
9

7
27
30
31

6
26
21
25
22

66
12
23

4
22
38
20

63
5
6

13
3
1
5
5

17
26
30
22
5

25
37
39
32

100

88
12

33
32
27

25
44
19
13

6
28
32
31

5
26
22
23
25

3
17
35
22
24

69
4
7
5
5
1
4
5

31
24
30
12
3

9
13

15
9

100

51
50

12
40
26
23

98
2

4
21
30
39

5
26
23
24
23

65
10
25

3
18
40
18
21

64
5
5

15
4

(x)
2
5

13
27
30
24

13
19
14
25

100

52
48

37
36
21

7
29
26
38

98
2

7
22
25
37
10

8
29
20
26

9
33

4
21
40
18
17

64
6
5

12
5

(x)
2
6

13
29
25
25

100

40
60

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 6. Participation in Selected Activities, by Demographic Characteristics — Continued

(Percentage of respondents)

Characteristic

Respondents who said they participated once or more in previous 12 months

Total sample Jogging

Bird-
watching,
etc.

Driving for
Picnicking pleasure Sight seeing

Visiting Attend out-

zoos, Attend out- door cultural
etc. door sports performances

Total

Sex

Male

Female

Age

12 to 24

25 to 39

40 to 59

60 or more

Education

Less than high school

High school

Less than 4 years of college . .

4 or more years of college . . .

Race

White

Black

Annual family income (dollars)

Under 5,000

5,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 or more

Number of persons in
household

5 or more

Marital status

Married

Widowed, divorced separated
Never married

Household cars owned

None

4 or more

Employment status

At work

Not at work

Unemployed

Keeping house

Going to school

Unable to work

Retired

Other

Size of place of residence

Under 5,000

5,000-24,999

25,000-99,999

100,000-999,999

1,000,000 or more

Region

Northeast

North Central

South

West

100

45
55

22
29
27
22

13
36
24
27

8
25
27
32

11
37
18
21
14

67
15
19

5
29
35

17
14

52
7
4

22
2
2
6
6

21
24
28
23
5

100

44
56

29
36
24
12

16
38
22
24

90
10

7
25

25
23
24
21

64
14
23

6
25
38
18
14

6
4
18
3
1
4
5

15
25
26
26
8

45
56
40
55

100

47
53

27
36
24
14

16
38
23
23

6
26
29
32

9
29
23
22

64
13
24

4
25
38
18
15

1
4
5

15
26
29
24

45
54
43
53

100

47
53

27
35
25
13

15
36
23
26

91
9

6
24
28
34

9
29
22
23

64
13
24

4
24
39
18

61
5
4

17
3
1
4
5

15
26
29
24

44
50
41
49

100

47
53

35
36
20
10

15
37
24
25

91
9

6
24
29

34
7

7
24
21
25
22

62
12
26

6
24
37
19
15

60
5
5

17
4
1
4
5

14
25
28
24
9

48
57
44
55

100

53
47

11
36
26

91
9

6
22
28
36

7
24
21
25
23

59
11
30

5
21
38
20
16

64
5
5

12
5
1
3
5

14
27
27
25

35
44
37
42

100

46
54

12
32
24
33

91
10

7
25
26

35
8

10
28
22
22
18

54
14
32

7
25
37
18
14

63
5
5

14
4
1
3
5

11
24
29
27
9

28
26
20
31

NOTE: Limited to those activities in which 10 percent or more (550 or more) respondents said they participated once or more in the 12
previous months.

self-identified bicycle enthusiasts cited "to get
exercise or keep in shape" as a reason for
liking the activity. The appreciative compo-
nent of the bicycling boom is also substan-
tial. Fifty-nine percent of the respondents
who particularly enjoyed bicycling cited the
reason *to enjoy nature and the outdoors."

table 5. The demographic patterning of
horseback riders is rather typical of outdoor
activities and does not support the elite
stereotype often associated with the sport.
Also, by contrast to most forms of outdoor
recreation, more women than men reported
riding horseback.

only one-fourth to one-sixth the rate of the
most advantaged categories. Self-identified
golf enthusiasts (46 percent of participants)
have a strong tendency to cite fitness, enjoy-
ment of the outdoors, and escape (to get
away from day-to-day living or problems) as
reasons why they enjoy their sport.

Horseback Riding

More stable in its participation rate since
the 1960s, horseback riding is typical of
those activities which require substantial in-
vestments of time and/or money to par-
ticipate. It counts only 9 percent of the NRS
respondents as participants but, of those
who went horseback riding once or more in
the prior 12 months, 40 percent cited the
activity as particularly enjoyed. That this is a
very respectable showing will be seen from

Golfing

Men participate in golf at almost triple the
rate of women. It is, however, one of the
least age-related activities. Participation, once
begun, holds up well through middle age
and into the older years. The participation
rates corroborate the popular impression of
an upscale sport. Those in the least advan-
taged categories of education, race, and in-
come participate at less than half the
general population rate (13 percent) and at

1 or more

1 to 2

3 to 10

11 to 25

More than

days

25 days

100

Table 7. Annual Volume of Activity Per Participant

(By activity-day categories)

Activity

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golfing

Tennis outdoors

Outdoor team sports

Boating

Canoeing or kayaking .

Sailing

Motorboating

Swimming outdoors
Swimming in outdoor

pool

Other outdoor

swimming

Fishing

Hunting

Camping

Backpacking

Camping in developed

campgrounds

Camping in primitive

campgrounds

Other camping

Day hiking

Birdwatching or other
nature study activities . .

Off-road vehicle driving
(includes motorcycles
but not snowmobiles) . .

Snow skiing

Downhill skiing

Cross-country skiing or

ski touring

Snowmobiling

100

100
100
100

100

100
100

100

100
100

19
21
19

36
35

28
15

51
40

42
43
42

47
44

47
29

35
36

20
21
22

12
16

14
14

10
14

19
15
17

6
5

12
42

4
10

Tennis Outdoors

Though we have no 1960 data, a com-
parison of the 1965 and 1982 summer rates
indicate that the proportion of Americans
who play tennis has about tripled. The sport
is somewhat less upscale than golf in its
relation to income, and Blacks participate at
almost as high a rate as Whites. Those who
say they particularly enjoy tennis cite fitness
as by far the most frequent motive. The
social component of their enthusiasm— being
with family and friends, and liking people
who play tennis— is also substantial.

Outdoor Team Sports

Participation in outdoor team sports is still
mostly a pursuit of young males, though
women and mature adults maintain a
respectable presence among the players.
Team participation is almost totally unrelated
to race or income. A slightly higher percent-
age of Blacks than Whites said they
engaged in an outdoor team sport during
the 12 months prior to the interview. "Other
outdoor games or sports" includes such a
diversity of pursuits (from croquet to
orienteering, at least) that no demographic
analysis will be attempted here.

Boating

The general population participation rate
of 28 percent for boating is impressive,
given the investments of time and money
involved. The demographic patterns of
boaters are somewhat upscale, and partici-
pation by Blacks is especially low. Sex is not
an important factor, and boating participa-
tion holds up well through middle age.
Virtually these same relationships are
characteristic of the four component
activities— canoeing or kayaking, sailing,
motorboating, and "other boating or water-
craft sport"— from which the "boating" data
were synthesized. Canoeing or kayaking,
however, had the largest growth with a
quadrupling of the summer participation rate
since 1960 (from 2 to 8 percent).3

Waterskiing

Self-identified waterskiers were counted in
both the "boating" and the "swimming"

NOTE: Percentage of participants (respondents who said they participated in the activity once or more
in the prior 12 months) who gave different estimates of the number of different days on which they par-
ticipated during the 12 months.

3In the 1960 survey, the activity was referred to as
"canoeing." Theoretically, the absence of kayaking in
the earlier version could inflate the appearance of
growth The distortion is probably minimal since
kayaking was considered insignificant in the United
States at that time.

Table 8. Monthly Volume of Activity, by Season

Activity days of participation per
month1 2

Activity

Spring Summer

Fall

Winter

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golfing

Tennis outdoors

Outdoor team sports

Canoeing or kayaking

Sailing

Motorboating

Swimming in an outdoor pool

Other outdoor swimming

Fishing

Hunting

Backpacking

Camping in developed campgrounds
Camping in primitive campgrounds . .

Other camping

Day hiking

Birdwatching or other nature study

activities

Off-road vehicle driving (includes

motorcycles but not snowmobiles) .

Downhill skiing

Cross-country skiing or ski touring . .
Snowmobiling

4.0

4.7

2.9

1.7

2.6

1.6

1.9

2.6

1.2

1.9

1.1

4.2

4.1

2.6

0.3

1.0

0.3

0.8

1.4

0.4

0.9

1.9

0.5

1.9

4.2

0.8

1.0

3.0

0.3

1.9

1.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

2.2

0.8

1.2

0.5

0.6

1.5

0.6

1.4

0.5

1.1

0.4

1.4

1.8

1.2

8.7

6.7

5.9

2.2

0.5
0.7
1.0
2.5

0.1
0.2
0.2

0.3
0.5
0.6
1.1

0.2
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.9

5.3

2.2

2.8

1.4

1.5

0.2

0.1

0.3

1.4

(x)

0.1

0.2

1.1

(x)

0.3

0.1

1.4

x Less than one twentieth of a day.

'Average number of activity-days per participant per month. An activity-day was counted for each calendar
day on which the respondent said he or she did the activity, even for a very short period.
2Not ascertained for certain activities due to limitations on interview length.

figures. This had little effect on those larger
aggregates, since most waterskiers identified
themselves as both boaters and swimmers in
any case. The demographic pattern of
waterskiers resembles boaters rather than
swimmers, however, and the sport is over-
whelmingly a pursuit of youth and young
adulthood.

Swimming Outdoors

Outdoor swimming was already extremely
popular in the 1960 survey with relatively
little room for growth. There was a rise in
the summer participation rate from 45 to
51 percent over the 22-year period. In this
survey, a somewhat larger proportion of the
respondents said they swam in outdoor
pools rather than in other environments
flakes, rivers, ocean beaches, etc.). Both
forms of the sport have a widespread fol-
1 lowing among all demographic segments
and even hold up fairly well with advancing
jge. Self-identified swimming enthusiasts
18 percent of participants) tended to cite

fitness (exercise — keeping in shape) and
social reasons (being with family and friends,
liking people who swim) as reasons for their
preference.

Fishing

• Even more than swimming, fishing has
been stable since 1960, as inferred from the
summer participation rates (29 percent in
1960 compared with 30 percent in 1982).
More than twice as many men fished as
women, but otherwise the sport was well
distributed across the various demographic
categories. Participation is virtually unrelated
to income or education and holds up well
with age. Fishing enthusiasts (58 percent of
participants!) most frequently cite peace and
quiet, getting away from day-to-day living,
and enjoying nature and the outdoors as
reasons. A much smaller number cited the
prospect of catching fish as a motive, but
this was not offered on the list of reasons
and is, therefore, not directly comparable
with the others.

Hunting

The demographic pattern of hunters
among our survey respondents is unique—
totally unlike that of any other activity's par-
ticipants. The sport is almost entirely male.
Of the participants, 88 percent were men
and boys. It is also the most predominantly
rural pursuit listed in our survey, with non-
residents of a Standard Metropolitan
Statistical Area (SMSA) four times more
likely to be hunters than central city
people— and twice as likely as suburbanites.4

As with fishermen, the proportion of
Americans who hunt appears to have been
stable since 1960. Apart from the predomi-
nance of rural males, hunters are very well
distributed across the demographic spectrum.
Though only 12 percent of our respondents
hunted, the sport tops the list for enthu-
siasm on the part of those who did.
Seventy-five percent of the self-identified
hunters said they particularly enjoyed the
sport, and 28 percent cited it as their ab-
solute favorite outdoor pursuit. Of the hunt-
ing enthusiasts, an impressive 71 percent
cited enjoyment of nature and the outdoors
as a motive. The social aspects were not
frequently chosen by comparison with other
outdoor activities. On the contrary, 30 per-
cent cited solitude, rather than companion-
ship, as a reason why they liked to hunt,
while 46 percent said they hunted to get
away from day-to-day living or problems. A
few said they hunted for the meat but, as
with fishing, this consumptive motive was
not on the list and hence was not given a
fair test.

Camping

Respondents who said they went back-
packing, or camped in developed or
primitive campgrounds, or engaged in any
other camping activity during the prior
12 months were counted as camping partici-
pants. This is not exactly the same as the
camping choice offered in 1960 and 1965,
but it should be quite close. It appears
(table 3) that camping as a whole has about
doubled its population participation rate in
the past 22 years. The self-identified
campers— 24 percent of the survey's
respondents— are well (or at least typically)
distributed across the various demographic
segments of the sample. Camping enjoys a
dedicated following, as evidenced by the
51 percent of participants who cited it as
particularly enjoyed and the 18 percent who
chose it as the one activity they most
enjoyed. The reasons given for enjoying
camping were predominantly appreciative

'Respondents who lived in an SMSA but not in a
central city were presumed suburban. See "place of
residence," in chapter 1, for a more detailed
explanation.

Table 9. Recreation Participation, by Activity and Season

(Selected activities)

Activity days of participation
per month

Activity and region

Spring Summer

Fall Winter

Activity days of participation
per month

Activity and region

Spring Summer

Fall Winter

0.3

0.1

Bicycling 4.0 4.7 2.9 2.2

Northeast 3.7 4.7 2.5 2.2

North Central 4.1 5.2 1.4 1.3

South 3.3 3.9 4.1 3.3

West 5.0 4.8 3.3 2.4

Canoeing or kayaking .0.3 1.0

Northeast .2 1.0

North Central .2 .9

South .4 .5

West .5 1.5

Sailing 0.8 1.4 0.4 0.2

Northeast .2 3.0 .1 .1

North Central .4 1.6 .1 .2

South 2.0 .6 .5 .4

West 1.6 .8 1.2 .1

Swimming in an outdoor pool ... 1.9 4.2 0.8 0.3

Northeast 1.3 3.8 .5 .4

North Central 1.0 3.8 .2 .3

South 2.4 3.8 .9 .2

West 2.9 5.4 1.6 .6

Fishing

Northeast

North Central

South

West

Hunting 0.6 0.5 2.2 1.1

Northeast .5 .3 2.4 2.0

North Central .6 .3 3.4 .3

South .6 .4 1.5 1.4

West .3 1.1 1.8 1.2

1.9

1.8

0.7

0.6

1.4

1.8

1.9

2.2

2.6

1.7

1.8

Backpacking 0.8 1.2 0.5 0.2

Northeast 1.6 1.2 .2 .2

North Central .2 2.8 .2 .0

South 1.1 .5 .4 .2

West .4 1.1 .9 .3

Camping in developed

campgrounds 0.6 1.5 0.6 0.4

Northeast .3 2.8 .2 .1

North Central .6 1.5 .4 .1

South .7 .7 .7 .5

West. .7 1.7 .9 .8

Day hiking 1.4 1.8 1.2 0.9

Northeast 1.9 .9 .6 1.1

North Central 1.6 2.2 1.6 .8

South 1.9 2.2 .9 1.0

West .6 1.8 1.4 .6

Birdwatching or other nature

study activities 8.7 6.7 5.9 5.3

Northeast 11.3 8.5 6.9 4.6

North Central 11.1 6.4 5.6 7.0

South 4.1 7.6 10.4 4.9

West 7.3 4.2 2.1 2.2

Off-road vehicle driving (includes

motorcycles but not snowmobiles) 2.2 2.8 1.4 1.5

Northeast 2.9 4.6 1.5 2.0

North Central 3.4 1.6 1.0 7

South 2.6 2.4 .9 2.2

West .5 3.0 2.4 1.6

Downhill skiing 0.2 0.1 0.3 1.4

Northeast .6 .2 .3 1.9

North Central (x) (x) (x) 1.6

South .1 .0 .2 .9

West .1 .2 .4 .9

x Less than one half of one percent.

'Average number of activity-days per participant per month. An activity-day was counted for each calendar day on which the respondents said they did the
activity, even for a very short period.

(enjoying nature and the outdoors, peace
and quiet); change of pace (getting away
from day-to-day living, doing something new
or different); and social (being with family
and friends, liking people who camp).

The same widespread participation pattern
was characteristic of the component activities
"camping in a developed campground*
"camping in a primitive campground,* and
"other camping." Respondents were not
prompted as to the difference between
developed and primitive campgrounds. Most
applied their own intuitive criteria, but those
few who asked were told that primitive
campgrounds had no improved roads, water
taps, utility hookups, flush toilets, showers,
stores, or laundry facilities. Campgrounds
with one or more of these features were to

be considered "developed*
Backpacking

This is the first nationwide recreation
survey to include backpacking— a combi-
nation of primitive camping with hiking.
Backpacking, though it attracted only
5 percent of our respondents as participants,
has become a major concern of land
managing agencies. It is the principal means
of access to many remote wilderness
areas— environments which agencies are just
now learning how to manage. Backpacking
attracts few Blacks and drops off sharply
with age. It attracts disproportionate numbers
of the well educated. Otherwise, this pursuit
is widely distributed across the income spec-
trum and other demographic categories.

Day Hiking

Hiking is another resource-oriented pursuit
which shows substantial growth since
1960— to a current participation rate of
14 percent. With the exception of Blacks,
only 3 percent of whom said they hiked,
participation was very widely distributed
across the demographic spectra of our
respondent sample. Thirty-seven percent of
the participants cited hiking as particularly
enjoyed. The reasons given were pre-
dominantly in the appreciative and escape
categories— enjoyment of nature and the
outdoors (84 percent!), solitude, peace and
quiet, and getting away from day-to-day
living or problems. Fitness (to get exercise or
keep in shape) was cited as a motive by
42 percent of the self-identified hiking
enthusiasts.

Table 10. Percentage Who Gave Selected Reasons for not Engaging in Favorite Activities

Reason

Percentage of
those who cited

Percentage of those

who particularly enjoyed activity2

any activity as

particularly

enjoyed1

Bicycling

Golf

Tennis

Swim-
ming

Fishing

Hunting

Hiking

Walking Camping

Softball

(x)

Not enough time

Not enough money

No place to do activity

No one to do activity with

Inadequate transportation or
too far to travel

Crowded activity areas

Personal health reasons

Inadequate activity information . .

Poorly maintained activity areas .

Personal safety problems in
activity areas

Pollution problems in activity
areas

Other reasons (not on list)

-Not ascertained for certain activities.

'Percentages are based on the total (76 percent of all respondents) who cited one or more activities they "particularly enjoyed."
2These are the ten activities cited as "particularly enjoyed" by the largest numbers of respondents.

Walking for Pleasure

Roughly equivalent to "taking walks,"
walking for pleasure was defined, by virtue
of being asked after hiking, as the casual
residue of recreational walking. The few
respondents who asked about the difference
were told that hiking was "walking of a
substantial nature requiring some degree of
preparation, special clothing, supplies,
and/or equipment" and that all other
recreational walking (except backpacking)
was to be counted as "walking for pleasure."
Pleasure walking, with 53 percent of the
sample participating, was tied with swimm-
ing as the most widespread activity in the
1982-83 NRS. The popularity of walking
extends across all categories of the respon-
dent sample, with no less than 35 percent
participating even in the most disadvantaged
groupings. With 42 percent, participation in
pleasure walking by the older respondents
(aged 60 or more) greatly exceeded their in-
volvement with any other activity in the
survey. Seventeen percent of the walkers
said they particularly enjoyed the activity,
mostly citing fitness and enjoyment of the
outdoors as reasons.

Running or Jogging

As evidenced by this and other surveys,
the penetration of running and jogging into
the recreational repertoire of the American

people can only be described as extraor-
dinary. In 1960, running was limited to a
relatively few young athletes. It was con-
sidered so insignificant as not to warrant
inclusion in the 1960 National Recreational
Survey (which included rock climbing)! In
this survey, more than one in four
respondents (26 percent) claimed to have
run or jogged in the prior 12 months, and
19 percent of the runners cited the activity
as particularly enjoyed. The proportion of
runners among our respondents increases
strongly with education and declines sharply
with age. (Still, 13 percent of the age 40 to
59 category is respectable for an activity
which is regarded as one of the most
stressful sports in its demands on the
cardiovascular system.) Otherwise, participa-
tion in running was well distributed across
the demographic categories of respondents,
with Blacks participating at a higher rate
than Whites.

Birdwatching or Other Nature
Study Activities

Nature study, judged by its rather even
distribution across the demographic
categories of respondents and the seasons of
the year, is one of the most available of
outdoor activities. The number of days per
year on which participants engaged in this
pursuit (table 9) is substantial. Nature study
is the only activity on our list which actually

increases in participation— if gradually—
across the entire age spectrum. Given this
apparent availability, the population
participation rate of 12 percent is
unimpressive, as is the 7 percent of
participants who cited this activity as
particularly enjoyed. The low participation by
young people would appear to bode ill for
the future of this pursuit. Comparison with
other surveys indicates, however, that this is
too bleak a picture. "Birdwatching or other
nature study activities" was included in the
NRS to capture, as far as possible in a
single label, the wide spectrum of pursuits
involving the "appreciative" or "nonconsump-
tive" enjoyment of nature. A comparison
with the 1980 National Survey of Fishing,
Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
suggests that our label captured only a frac-
tion of this type of behavior.5

That survey, with a similar but larger sam-
ple of a reasonably comparable target
population (U.S. residents 16 years old or
older), used a much more detailed series of
questions to capture a definitionally narrower
spectrum of pursuits than our "birdwatching
or other nature study activities." The two
activity- aggregates of greatest interest in

HJ.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife
Service and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau
of the Census. 1982. 1980 National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
Table 49 and tables 69-70.

Table 1 1 . Percentage of Respondents Who Gave Selected Reasons for Enjoying Favorite Activities

Reason

Percentage of
those who cited

Percent

age of tho

se who p<

irticu

larly en

joyed ac

tivity2

any activity as

particularly

Swim-

enjoyed

Bicycling

Golf

Tennis

ming

Fishing

Hunting

Hiking

Walking Camping

Softball

Enjoy nature and outdoors . . .
Get exercise or keep in shape
Get away from day-to-day

living or problems

Chance to be with family and

friends

It's quiet and peaceful where

I go

Like people who do activity
Have special equipment for

it. Like using equipment. . . .
Not many people around
To do something new or

different

Other reasons (not on list) . . .

'Percentages are based on the total (76 percent of all respondents) who cited one or more activities they "particularly enjoyed.
2These are the 10 activities cited as "particularly enjoyed" by the largest numbers of respondents.

checking our "birdwatching, etc." data are
"primary nonresidential, nonconsumptive,
wildlife-related activities," and "primary
residential, nonconsumptive, wildlife-related
activities." The difference between the two is
that residential activities occur within
1 mile of home, and nonresidential activities
occur everywhere else. The "primary*
specification requires that the recreational
occasion have the primary purpose of
observing, feeding, photographing, or other-
wise enjoying fish or wildlife.

Our "birdwatching, etc." definition is
broader on two counts— secondary occa-
sions are not, as such, excluded; and
natural phenomena other than wildlife are
included, such as plants, rocks, clouds, or
stars. Nevertheless, the 1980 Fishing,
Hunting, etc. Survey, obtained population
participation rates of 49 percent for primary
nonconsumptive wildlife-related activities as a
whole— whether residential or nonresidential.
The rate for the residential segment was
47 percent, and that for the nonresidential
was 17 percent. Even the low participation
of youth may be less of a cause for con-
cern. This more detailed survey indicates
that the proportion of the sample which
participates in the nonconsumptive enjoy-
ment of wildlife peaks in young adulthood
(ages 25 to 34) with a slow decline
thereafter.6

'The behavior surveyed was that during calendar
year 1980 in the Fishing, Hunting, etc. Survey, in
which the interviews took place early in 1981. In the
Nationwide Recreation Survey, the 12-month recall
periods ranged from the fall of 1981 through the
spring of 1983. These should be very comparable
time periods, since there is little evidence of fad-
dtshness or instability in these nature observation
activities.

Picnics

Many people (48 percent of our sample)
of all ages and conditions go on picnics, but
few cite picnicking as a favorite activity. With
a 51-percent participation rate, slightly more
women said they picnicked than men (with
45 percent).

Driving for Pleasure

With summer participation rates of
53 and 52 percent, picnicking and driving
for pleasure topped the list of activities in
the 1960 National Recreation Survey. In
1965 they maintained their rank and in-
creased their summer participation rates to
57 percent for picnicking and 55 percent for
pleasure driving. They have not kept pace
in the interim. Due to Census restrictions on
interview length, the summer participation
rates were not obtained for these activities in
the current survey. However, the 12-month
rate for both activities was 48 percent, and
the summer rates could only be the same
or (likely) lower. The availability of pleasure
driving across all population segments con-
tinues to be impressive. With 35 percent
participating, pleasure driving was the
second most widespread activity among the
age 60 and older group in our survey. Only
walking for pleasure, with 42 percent, was
cited by a larger number of senior citizens.

Sightseeing

Sightseeing has also fallen off a bit since
the 1960s judged by the criteria stated
above (1982-83 twelve-month participation
rate compared with the 1960 and 1965
summer rates). Nevertheless, with 46 per-

cent of the sample saying they went
sightseeing in the prior 12 months, it is clear
that this activity is still very much a part of
the nation's leisure patterns. There is a
marked tendency of sightseeing participation
to increase with more years of schooling.
Otherwise, the activity is done widely by all
population groups represented in the NRS
sample.

Off-Road Vehicle Driving
(Includes Motorcycles but not
Snowmobiles)

In addition to motorcycling, this aggregate
of off-road motorized travel includes driving
four-wheel drives, all-terrain vehicles, and
beach buggies. It was not much of a factor
in the 19605 and was not included in the
earlier surveys. Almost the entire 11 percent
participation rate can be considered to repre-
sent growth since that time. Driving off-road
is well distributed across the various
categories of respondents. Only Blacks, with
3 percent, are conspicuously under-
represented. Only 9 percent of the par-
ticipants cited the sport as "particularly
enjoyed."

Ice Skating

By comparison with the 1960s, ice
skating, too, has declined slightly in the
percentage of survey respondents par-
ticipating. Even the 6 percent who did go
ice skating tended not to cite the activity as
especially enjoyed. This sport is overwhelm-
ingly a pursuit of well-educated, northern,
White, young people.

Table 12. Short-Term Activity Trend Indicators

(Percentage who said they started, stopped, or intended to start activity during a 2-year period)

Activity

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golfing

Tennis outdoors

Boating

Canoeing or kayaking

Sailing

Waterskiing

Swimming outdoors

Fishing

Hunting

Camping

Backpacking

Day hiking

Walking for pleasure

Running or jogging

Birdwatching or other nature study

activities

Picnicking

Driving for pleasure

Sightseeing

Off-road vehicle driving (includes
motorcycles but not snowmobiles) .

Ice skating

Snow skiing

Cross-country skiing or ski touring
Snowmobiling

-Not ascertained for certain activities.
x Less than one half of one percent.

'Percentage of total sample who said they participated once or more during 12 months prior to interview.

'Expressed as a percentage of current participants (first column) .

3Based on the difference between age on starting the activity and current age. Not ascertained for cer-
tain activities

'Persons who said they stopped during the prior 2 years and expect to start in the
next 2 years were not included in these percentages.

Expected to

Annual

Started in

Stopped

start in

participation

prior 2

in prior 2

next 2

rate1

years2 3

years2 4

years 2 4

(x)

Snow Skiing

Snow skiing, by contrast, has enjoyed
rapid growth in the interval between 1960
and the current NRS. The 1960 winter par-
ticipation rate of 2 percent left plenty of
room for growth, but a quadrupling of that
rate over a 22-year interval is still impressive.
Skiing must be regarded as an upscale sport
by any available yardstick, and it declines
sharply with age. These conclusions can be
drawn for snow skiing in general as well as
for downhill skiing, which continues to at-
tract the majority of snow skiing participants.
Almost half (49 percent) of the self-identified
skiers in our sample said they particularly
enjoyed the sport.

Cross Country Skiing or
Ski Touring

Though cross country was the form of
skiing originally brought to North America
by immigrants from northern Europe, it had
declined to insignificance by the 1960s and
was omitted, as a separate category, from
the 1960 and 1965 surveys. Its resurgence
to a population participation rate of 3 per-
cent in 1982-83 (4 to 5 percent outside the
south) has occurred, therefore, from virtually
a zero base. The demographic pattern of
participation is similar to that for downhill,
except that it is markedly less popular with
the city people in our sample and holds up
somewhat better into middle age.

Snowmobiling

Motorized oversnow vehicles have been
used for several decades for transportation in
regions with long periods of heavy snow
cover. The recreational use of these
machines was just getting started in the
United States in the 1960s, hence
snowmobiling was not included in the 1960
and 1965 surveys. The 3 percent of our
respondents who said they went snow-
mobiling can be regarded as representing
growth since 1960. The demographic pat-
terning of our self-identified snowmobilers is
similar to that of the cross country skiers—
except that snowmobiling is not upscale on
the education and income yardsticks.

Sledding

Judged by the winter participation rates of
9 percent, sledding (which includes tobog-
ganing, tubing-on-snow, etc.) has been flat
over the past 22 years with respect to the
proportion of Americans who engage in it.
The participation rate declines sharply with
age, and the predominance of young
people among sledders would doubtless be
even greater if we had data for the under-12
population. Most of the other apparent
demographic relationships of sledding par-
ticipation (predominance of single persons in
large households, etc.) are probably
age-related.

Visiting Zoos, Fairs, or Amuse-
ment Parks

With a population participation rate of
50 percent, this first of our "visiting and
attending" activities ranked just below swim-
ming and walking for third place on this
breadth yardstick. This kind of visitation
appears to be almost universally available to
our respondents of all ages and conditions.
Some of the 26 percent participation by the
age 60 and older group is likely a part of
the grandparenting process.

Attending Outdoor Sports
Events

Outdoor spectator sports attendance is
also widespread among all groupings of the
NRS respondents with a population par-
ticipation rate of 40 percent. A summer
comparison reveals an approximate doubling
of the seasonal rate since 1960. Women are
well represented among sports attendees— a
contrast to the traditional male stereotype of
the American sports fan.

Attending Outdoor Concerts,
Plays, or Other Outdoor
Performances

The final "visiting and attending"
activity— and the last listed activity in the
survey— includes attendance at a wide

variety of performances, historic pageants,
and miscellaneous events. The summer par-
ticipation rate for this activity more than
doubled between the 1960 and the 1982-83
surveys. At 25 percent, however, the
12-month rate is still well below that for
spectator sports. Attendance at outdoor per-
formances rises markedly with increased
educational attainment. Otherwise, this is
one of the more widespread, and appar-
ently more accessible, forms of outdoor
recreation in our survey.

Other Activities

As noted earlier, respondents were given
the opportunity to name as many as four
unlisted activities in which they had par-
ticipated, but few did so. The 12-month par-
ticipation rates for those activities are

presented in table AT in appendix A. The
percentages of survey respondents who cited
these activities as particularly enjoyed, also
listed in the same table, often exceed the
participation rates. This is a further indication
that the participation rates are much lower
than they would have been had those ac-
tivities been listed on the questionnaire. The
rates are useful for comparisons among the
unlisted activities but not between the
unlisted and listed activities.

No Participation

This is the first nationwide recreation
survey which analyzes the segment of the
respondent sample who said they did
nothing at all for recreation in the outdoors
during the prior 12 months (table 4). Of the
total sample, 11 percent were in this

category— virtually unchanged from the
1960 figure of 10 percent. The
preponderance of these people were in the
older age groups, did not finish high school,
were low on the income scale, and/or lived
in one- or two-person households. Almost
twice the proportion of Blacks were nonpar-
ticipants as compared to Whites.

SUMMARY

The first two chapters have profiled the
1982-83 NRS respondents on the basis of
their participation in outdoor activities and
characterized a number of outdoor recreation
pursuits on the basis of the numbers and
kinds of Americans who engage in them.
The next chapter will examine selected
aspects of the places where this recreation
happens— and of the trips people take to
get there.

CHAPTER 3

Places and
Trips for Outdoor
Recreation

Two of the cooperating agencies in the
NRS consortium— the Forest Service and
the National Park Service— each sponsored
a series of questions about the locales where
outdoor recreation takes place. The Forest
Service required trip and destination data for
particular activities to use in a planning
model. The National Park Service needed
information about the availability and use of
outdoor recreation environments in relation
to where people live.

PLACES FOR RECREATION

According to standards published by the
National Recreation and Park Association
(NRPA) in 1983, a variety of settings are
needed to serve the recreation needs of the
people in a community.1 Each type of set-
ting provides different experiences and
opportunities to engage in various activities.
NRPA recommends provision of local,
close-to-home spaces" and defines these
areas as easily accessible by neighborhood
residents. These areas typically consist of
intensely developed recreation facilities,
natural environments, or a combination of
both. Facilities on these nearby parks may
range from ballfields to picnic areas to
specialized equipment for limited populations
such as tot lots or senior citizens parks.

In addition, NRPA also recommends the
availability of regional parklands. These
regional recreation spaces typically serve
several communities within 1 hour's drive
and are contiguous to or encompass natural
environment areas. These areas provide the
environment for nature-oriented activities
and outdoor recreation dependent on a
natural setting, such as boating or hiking.
Although not addressed in the NRPA stand-
ards manual, other recreation spaces include

yards or areas located at residences and
destination parks located more than 1 hour's
travel time from a person's home. The
1982-83 NRS asked the respondents about
all four types of recreation spaces— the
areas' importance, availability, and personal
use during the 12 months prior to the inter-
view. These measures provide an indication
of how the recreation estate is distributed, at
least as measured through the perceptions
of the American public.

The 1977 Nationwide Recreation Survey
also asked respondents about the impor-
tance, availability, and use of these different
outdoor settings. The 1982-83 NRS
repeated these questions. Because of
methodological differences in the conduct of
the two surveys, a strict comparison of the
data resulting from these two collection
efforts is not recommended.

Table 13 shows that most (67 percent) of
the respondents said having a yard or play
area to use for outdoor recreation was very
important. The percentage saying a recrea-

tion area was important decreased as the
distance from home increased. However,
over half the sample claimed that the ex-
istence of parks or outdoor places at each
of the four distances was important.

A large majority (81 percent) of the
respondents had a yard or play area at their
residence available for outdoor recreation.
Table 14 indicates that people less likely to
have a yard included those living in the
central city of a SMSA, living in residences
with multiple-housing units, in a smaller
household, non-White, or with lower in-
comes. Fewer people (63 percent) said they
had parks or outdoor recreation areas
available within a 15-minute walk. People
living in the central city of an SMSA and in
multiunit residences had more nearby parks
available, somewhat compensating for the
lower likelihood of having a yard located at
their residence. People who had a yard or
nearby park available for their use were
more likely to say these areas were
important.

Table 13. Importance of Recreation Areas at Various Distances From Home

(Percentage of respondents assigning levels of importance)

Area

Very
important

Somewhat
important

Not very
important

'Lancaster, Roger A. (ed). 1983. Recreation, park
V)d open space standards and guidelines. National
Recreation and Park Association, Alexandria, VA.

Yard or play area at residence

Neighborhood park and recreation
areas (within a 15-minute
walk from home)

Regional park and recreation areas
(between 15-minute walk and
1 hour's travel time from home) . . .

Destination park and recreation areas
(more than 1 hour's travel time) . . .

Table 14. Availability of Yards and Nearby Recreation Areas

(Percentage of respondents, by selected demographic characteristics, who said they had yards or neighborhood recreation areas available)

Characteristic

Yard

Neighborhood
area

Characteristic

Neighborhood

ard

area

Total sample

Number of housing units
in residence

5 to 9

Over 10

Mobile home

Place of residence

SMSA,' central city . .
SMS A, not central city
Not SMSA

Number of persons in household

5 or more

Race

White

Black and other

Annual family income (dollars)

Less than 6,000

6,000 to 9,999

10,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 and over

'Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The use of parks or outdoor areas was
inversely related with distance— the closer
the area to a person's residence, the greater
number of days it was used. However, as
table 15 shows, a majority of the
respondents used outdoor recreation areas
at each distance at least once during the
year. Those people who did not indicate
they had a yard or nearby park available
were not questioned about their use of
these two areas.

TRIPS AND OUTINGS
FOR RECREATION

Only about a third of the respondents
(32 percent) to the 1982-83 NRS answered

the questions about trips and outings. The
subsample included persons aged 16 years
or older who had made an outing or trip
during the 12 months prior to the survey
interview "primarily" to engage in at least
one of the following activities: canoeing or
kayaking, freshwater fishing other than trout
or salmon, hunting other than big game,
backpacking or hiking, camping in camp-
grounds, any other camping not in
campgrounds, driving motorized vehicles off
improved roads (including motorcycles),
cross country skiing or ski touring, and
snowmobiling. Information was collected
only about trips and outings taken for the
primary purpose of engaging in the specific
recreation activity. The Forest Service, as

Table 15. Utilization of Outdoor Recreation Opportunities

(Percentage of respondents using outdoor recreation areas at various distances from home)

Days area used in prior 12 months

Area

Never

1 to 2

3 to 10 More than 10

Yard or play area at residence1

Neighborhood parks and recrea-
tion areas (within 15-minute
walk and 1 hr. travel time)1 . .

Regional parks and recreation
areas (between a 15-min.
walk and 1 hr. travel time) . . .

Destination parks and recreation
areas (more than 1 hr. travel
time)

•Only respondents who indicated they had a yard or play area at their residence or a
neighborhood park available were questioned about their use of these two areas.

sponsor of this series of questions, wanted
to apply the travel and cost information to
each specific activity, therefore they excluded
multiple-purpose trips. The activities were,
moreover, selected with a view to the data
requirements of the assessment process
mandated by the Forest and Range Lands
Renewable Resources Planning Act. Hence
the data analyzed here reflect only a limited
sample of the total recreation travel engaged
in during a 12-month period by a subsam-
ple of the NRS respondents. The activity
definitions also reflect Forest Service
analytical requirements. They frequently dif-
fer from those used in the rest of the survey
(e.g., "non-big-game hunting"). The results
should be interpreted with these limitations
in mind.

Table 16 shows the percentage of
respondents who reported information about
outings or trips. The table also displays the
percentage of the participants (respondents
who said they did one of the nine selected
activities in the past year) who took a trip
primarily for that activity. A higher percent-
age (16 percent) traveled to go freshwater
fishing than to engage in any of the other
selected activities. As shown, of all the
people who engaged in at least one of the
nine selected activities, 70 percent took a
trip or outing to pursue that activity. Par-
ticipants were more likely to travel to engage
in camping in campgrounds or hunting
other-than-big-game animals. They were less
likely to take trips to go snowmobiling or to
go driving off improved roads.

Table 17 illustrates the number and
percentage of trips or outings by activity and
length of the outing. Figures in this table
were left unweighted in order to show the
numbers of trips or outings. Overnight trips
accounted for half of the trips taken in these

activities. More trips or outings were taken
to engage in fishing and campground
camping than in any of the other activities.

For the remainder of the tables, informa-
tion about other camping, cross country
skiing, and snowmobiling has been
eliminated because of small subsample size.

Respondents were asked about their most
recent trip taken for each activity. To aid the
respondent in recalling the trip, the inter-
viewer asked the name of the main place
where the activity was pursued. This infor-
mation was recorded only to assist the inter-
viewer in the conduct of the survey.
Therefore, references to place refer to a
specific area identified by the respondent.

Information about transportation mode, size
of travel party, length of stay, distance and
time traveled, and fees or charges paid were
collected about each activity trip.

Table 18 aggregates the information about
each activity trip. Multiple trips per year
were taken to go driving off improved roads,
freshwater fishing, or non-big-game hunting.
People took shorter trips, in terms of time
and distance, to drive off-road vehicles or to
go freshwater fishing. More distance was
traveled to go backpacking or hiking, but
people traveled a longer period of time to
go camping in campgrounds. Cars, trucks,
or vans transported the majority of the
recreation travelers. Pick-up campers,

Table 16. Trips or Outings to Engage in Selected Outdoor Recreation
Activities

(Percent)

Activity

All activities2

Canoeing/kayaking

Freshwater fishing other

than trout or salmon

Hunting, other than big game
Backpacking/hiking

Campground camping

Other camping

Off-road driving

Cross-country skiing

Snowmobiling

'Participants are those respondents who said they engaged in the activity once or more
in the 12 months prior to the interview— whether or not on a trip or outing taken specifically
for that purpose.

'Refers to activities listed on this table only.

Respondents who

Participants

who

took trip to engage

took trip to

engage

in selected activity

in selected

activity1

camper-vans, and motor homes represented
the second most popular mode of travel for
not only camping but canoeing/kayaking,
fishing, and hunting as well. Nearly 30 per-
cent of the travelers driving off-road vehicles
drove mopeds or motorcycles for travel to
the recreation site as well.

The majority (80 percent) of travelers
went to one destination to pursue the
activity. A greater percentage of people
traveling to backpack/hike or camp in
campgrounds visited other places to do the
same activity. Most trips regardless of activity
lasted 2 days. Campground campers tended
to stay longer (4 days) and off-road drivers
typically completed their outing in a day or
less.

Travel for these activities tended to be a
social event, with an average of four persons
in the traveling party. Canoeing or kayaking
trips appeared to be taken in larger groups,
averaging seven persons. Less than a third
of the travelers paid any entry fees, activity
fees, rentals, or other charges to engage in
the activity. However, the majority of
canoeing/kayaking or campground camping
trips required payment of some fees. People
who traveled to hunt or to fish in freshwater
paid the highest fees.

The Recreation Opportunity Spectrum
(ROS) is a system used by the Forest Serv-
ice and other land-managing agencies to
classify their land areas. The spectrum
includes a range of settings from highly
developed, more urban environments to
wilderness areas with no evidence of human
intrusion. According to the theory behind
the ROS system, each setting results in a
different experience for the recreationist, and
land managers strive to provide a balance of
these experiences. Therefore, the respond-
ents were asked to provide further details
about the environment in which they

Table 17. Trips for Recreation, by Activity and Length of Trip

Length of trip

4 hours or less

5 to 24 hours

Over 24 hours

All trips'

Activity

Number

Percent2

Number

Percent2

Number

Percent2

Number

Percent2

All trips or outings . . .

Canoeing/kayaking . .
Freshwater fishing . . . .

Hunting

Backpacking/hiking . .
Campground camping

Other camping

Off-road driving

Cross-country skiing . .
Snowmobiling

573

863

1455

2909

100

208

222

354

327

905

128

145

355

103

125

320

699

100

703

100

187

- Not ascertained for certain activities.

'Totals do not add up across columns because of missing data about length of stay. The final column represents the total number of trips taken for
these activities.

2Percent of all activity trips.

NOTE: Figures are unweighted.

Table 18. Characteristics of Trips and Outings

Trips or outings to engage in:

Characteristic

All trips
or outings

Canoeing/
kayaking

Freshwater
fishing

Hunting, not
big game

Backpacking/
hiking

Campground
camping

Average number of trips or
outings per participant 6 3 9 9 5 4

Average distance of destination
from residence (miles) 148 151 105 104 244 208

Average one-way travel time
(hours)' 5 4 3 5 6 9

Transportation mode (percent)

Automobile 80 91 88 82 87 75 61

Other 20 9 12 18 13 25 39

Travel to other destinations on
same trip (percent yes) 20 22 16 11 28 31 20

Average length of stay (days)2 ... 2 2 2 2 2 4 1

Average number of people in the
traveling party3 4 7 3 3 4 5 3

User fee:

Percent 32 59 28 16 17 70 8

Average dollars/person4 22 17 20 42 5 13 10

'Rounded to the nearest hour. 2Rounded to the nearest day. 3Rounded to the nearest person.
'Rounded to the nearest dollar. Zeroes (trips not subject to a user fee) not included in average.

Table 19. Destination Characteristics of Trips and Outings

Trips or outings to engage in:

All trips Canoeing/ Freshwater Hunting, not Backpacking/ Campground Off-road

Characteristic or outings kayaking fishing big game hiking camping driving

Nearness of outing/trip

destination to cities or

towns (percent)

In city or town 11 12 13 2 7 5 14

Just outside 33 29 40 33 31 44 36

Away 56 60 48 65 62 51 50

Place accessible by motor
vehicle'
Percent yes 87 95 92 86 72 96 91

Usual distance of participant to
roads or trails' 2

Less than 1/2 mile 50 56 73 48 25 74 26

1/2 to 3 miles 34 34 21 40 44 23 49

Over 3 miles 16 10 7 12 31 4 25

Number of people encountered'

Less than 3 30 6 31 60 33 19 42

3 to 10 28 34 27 28 34 24 19

11 to 50 27 41 29 11 21 38 23

51 to 100 7 13 8 2 5 12 6

Over 100 9 5 5 0 6 8 10

Prominence of physical structures
(dams, buildings, powerlines)1 3 2.4 2.4 2.7 2.2 1.9 2.5 2.1

Prominence of industry activity
(farms, quarries, mines)' 3 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.5 1.4 1.8 2.2

'Figures based only on outings or trips where the activity was pursued in a place away from cities or towns.

2Refers to roads or trails open to motor vehicle use. For outings or trips to drive off improved roads, the question was rephrased to refer to the distance from
an improved road, rather than a trail or road open to motor vehicle use.

3Figures represent an average on a scale from 1 to 5. 1 = not noticeable; 5 = extremely noticeable and prominent.

recreated at their trip destination in order to
place their experience in an ROS category.
Table 19 describes the information obtained
about these trips. As shown in the table,
nearness of the place to an urban area,
accessibility of the place to motor vehicles,
number of people encountered while pur-
suing the activity, and prominence of
human activity or presence represent
measures which place the experience on a
wildemess-to-urban spectrum.

A higher percentage of trips for back-
packing or hiking took place in the wilder
settings. More freshwater fishing trips and
trips for camping in campgrounds took place
at the opposite end of the spectrum, in
strongly man-modified environments.
However, the majority of trips or outings
tended to depict wildland experiences.

The figures in tables 18 and 19 were
based on a small number of cases. The
reader is cautioned against using these data
to generalize about trips for outdoor
recreation.2

*Fbr further information and more detailed analyses
about the use of the data in the travel cost model
and ROS planning, contact the Southeastern Rarest
Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, Athens,
GA 30602.

SUMMARY

Most respondents had access to both
yards and neighborhood parks for close-to-
home recreation. They used nearby recrea-

tion areas more frequently than those farther
away, but most took at least one trip to an
outdoor recreation destination more than an
hour's travel from home during the
12 months prior to the interview.

Participants in certain activities were
queried about the details of trips they took
to engage in those pursuits. Most
respondents in these activities took an
average of six trips traveling about 150 miles
to reach their destination. A large majority
traveled by automobile, and stayed an
average of 2 days. Four people usually
made up the traveling party, and approx-
imately $20 per person were spent on user
fees for the particular activity. Differences in
these averages by activity illustrate the types
of experiences generally encountered by out-
door recreationists.

CHAPTER 4

Americans and Their
National Parks

All respondents to the 1982-83 NRS
were shown a list of the 48 national parks
and asked to recall which, if any, of them
they had ever visited. In this chapter, the
results of this question will be used to
examine the penetration of national park
visits into the life-experience of various
segments of the respondent sample.1 Where
possible, comparisons will be drawn to the
responses to a virtually identical question in
a methodologically similar survey conducted
in 1955.2

Based on the respondenfs answers about
his or her past experience of the national
parks and future expectations of visiting
them, two further sets of questions were
asked to elicit public opinion about how
park operations should be paid for and how
park visits should be rationed in case of
overcrowding. The responses to these ques-
tions will also be examined briefly in this
chapter.

WHY ASK PEOPLE ABOUT
NATIONAL PARKS?

The National Park Service, which spon-
sored the questions examined in this
chapter, currently administers 334 areas and
sites, all of which are visited by the
recreating public. Only 48 of these have
been established by Congress as national
parks. The rest range from remote national
monuments through a variety of historic
sites to the Statue of Liberty and the White
House. Together with the national parks,
these resources reflect the full richness and

'Visits are not the only ways in which people ex-
perience these parks. The national parks are part of
the heritage of all Americans, and they are experi-
enced in numerous vicarious ways — through the
media, word-of-mouth, etc.— in addition to visits.

'Audience Research Incorporated. 1955. A Survey
of the Public Concerning the National Parks. Con-
ducted for the National Park Service, Department of
the Interior. Princeton, NJ.

complexity of the American heritage. The
National Park Service, entrusted with their
care, is interested in the various interactions
between all of these areas and the
American public.

It was deemed impractical, however, to
cover such a large and conceptually
unwieldy aggregation in a survey of the
general public. Hence this series of questions
was based on the 48 national parks, nar-
rowly defined, and the respondent was
shown the complete list of them to minimize
doubt as to what was meant. This limitation
has two principal effects on this examination
of the results:

1. A direct comparison to the 1955 survey,
referred to earlier, is possible and,

2. The responses to the public opinion
questions are directly applicable only to
the 48 national parks. It is not
unreasonable to expect, however, that
public attitudes would be similar in the
case of other resources— other Federal
lands, State parks, etc. — which provide
similar visitor services, such as camping
or interpretive programs.

NATIONAL PARK VISITS AS
AN AMERICAN
EXPERIENCE- mCs
AND 1980s COMPARED

The park visit experience will be ex-
amined first as it affects the entire NRS
sample of today's United States population.
A comparison will be made to the situation
in 1955 as reflected in the Audience
Research survey mentioned earlier. Finally,
the 1982-83 sample of respondents will be
broken down into the various demographic
categories introduced in chapter 1 to see in
what ways their national park visit ex-
periences are similar or different.

"Audience Penetration" of
Today's National Parks

Table 20 lists the 48 national parks by
region and, in the first column, the percent-
age of the total sample of 5,757 NRS
respondents who recalled ever having visited
each of them. The second and third
columns — listing, respectively, the estimated
total number of visits to the park in 1982
(in thousands) and the year the park was
established— are included to help in inter-
preting the "audience penetration" figures in
the first column.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
ranks first both in 1982 visits and in the
percentage of the NRS sample who recalled
having gone there. The Alaska parks, and
Isle Royale National Park in Michigan, are
near the bottom of both measures. Apart
from these extremes, however, the numbers
in the first and second columns are almost
totally unrelated. A comparison between two
of these parks, Acadia and Redwood, will il-
lustrate the very different roles which the
various national parks appear to fulfill for
the visiting public.

Acadia National Park ranks just behind
Great Smoky Mountains in 1982 visits with
an impressive 3.6 million. However,
although it has existed as a national park
since 1919, only 4 percent of the NRS
respondents recalled having gone there. By
contrast, Redwood National Park recorded
fewer than half a million visits in 1982, but
13 percent of our respondents said they had
gone there. For a relatively new national
park— established in 1968— such a penetra-
tion into the life-experience of the American
people is most impressive.

Clearly, many millions of Americans have
placed Redwood National Park on their
lifetime must list of places to see, while
relatively few have made a habit of going
there. The reverse appears to be the case
for Acadia which, if our sample accurately
reflects the situation, draws its visitors from a

Table 20. National Park Visits

Region/
National park

Percentage

Thousands

of respond-

of visits

Year

ents calling

to park

estab-

Region/

visit

in 19821

lished2

National Park

Percentage Thousands

of respond- of visits Year

ents calling to park estab-

visit in 19821 lished2

Northeast

Acadia (Maine)

South

Big Bend (Texas)

Biscayne (Florida)

Everglades (Florida)

Great Smoky Mountains

(N.Carolina, Tennessee)

Guadalupe Mountains (Texas) . .

Hot Springs (Arkansas)

Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) ....
Shenandoah-Skyline Drive
(Virginia)

Midwest

Badlands (S. Dakota)

Isle Royale (Michigan)

Theodore Roosevelt (N. Dakota)

Wind Cave (S. Dakota)

Voyageurs (Minnesota)

Southwest

Arches (Utah)

Bryce Canyon (Utah)

Canyonlands (Utah)

Capitol Reef (Utah)

Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico)

Grand Canyon (Arizona)

Mesa Verde (Colorado)

Petrified Forest (Arizona)

Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
Zion (Utah)

3572

1919

180

1944

348

1968

550

1934

8178

1934

141

1972

1016

1880

1527

1941

1752

1935

1031

1929

1931

677

1947

467

1903

144

1975

339

1971

472

1924

1964

290

1971

782

1930

2293

1908

603

1906

712

1962

2564

1915

1246

1919

West

Channel Islands

(California)

Crater Lake (Oregon)

Glacier (Montana)

Grand Teton (Wyoming)

Kings Canyon (California)

Lassen Volcanic (California) ....

Mount Rainier (Washington) . . .
North Cascades (Washington) . .

Olympic (Washington)

Redwood (California)

Sequoia (California)

Yellowstone (Wyoming,

Montana, Idaho)

Yosemite (California)

Alaska, Hawaii, Virgin Islands

Denali (Alaska)

Gates of the Arctic (Alaska) ....

Glacier Bay (Alaska)

Haleakala (Hawaii)

Hawaii Volcanoes (formerly

Hawaii National Park)

Katmai (Alaska)

Kenai Fjords (Alaska)

Kobuk Valley (Alaska)

Lake Clark (Alaska)

Wrangell-Saint Elias (Alaska) . . .
Virgin Islands

172

1980

436

1902

1666

1910

2534

1929

531

1890

415

1916

1007

1899

857

1968

2479

1938

467

1968

1021

1890

2369

1872

2416

1890

322

1917

(x)

1980

1925

772

1960

1995

1916

(x)

1980

(x)

1980

(x)

1980

(x)

1980

(x)

1980

674

1956

x less than one half of one percent.

'Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. 1983. National park statistical abstract 1982. Denver, Colorado
2Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. 1982. Index of the national park system
Printing Office, Washington, DC.

and related areas. Government

small segment of the population. To amass
such impressive annual visitation totals,
therefore, it must be very highly regarded by
a loyal— if limited, and probably regional-
clientele. It is evident from this comparison
that it would be hazardous to rely on any
single measure of value, performance, or
output in the case of a phenomenon as
complex as a national park.

The foregoing comparison also illustrates
the reason why the date of establishment is
included in the third column of table 20. All
48 currently existing national parks have not
had an equal chance to establish themselves
in the American consciousness and attract
visitation. Some of the visits recalled by our
respondents occurred many decades ago.
Indeed, one respondent's most recent
national park visit was in 1903. Hence older

parks have had a greater opportunity to
become part of the direct experience of the
American people.3 This should be kept in
mind, especially, when interpreting the
percentage figures for the most recently
established national parks.

3Fbr this reason, the year in the third column is not
always that in which the area in question was
designated by Congress as a national park. Many
current national parks were formerly national
monuments or other administrative units, but would
be recognized by the public by their proper names.
Visits to these areas during the prepark years would
likely be recalled and cited in this survey. In such a
case, therefore, the year given is that of its establish-
ment as an area designated for public visitation under
its current proper name. Badlands, for instance, was
not established as a national park until 1978. The
date given, 1929, is that of its establishment as
Badlands National Monument.

1950s and 1980s Compared

In table 21, a comparison is made be-
tween the current NRS and the 1955
Survey of the Public Concerning the
National Parks. The figures listed in each
case are the percentages of the total sample
of respondents who said they recalled
having visited each park. Conceptually, this
is the same measure of audience penetra-
tion as was used in the first column of
table 20. Two differences should be noted:

1. There were only 28 national parks in
1955. Only these are available for com-
parison, and they are the only ones listed
in table 21. In fact, one of these, Piatt
National Park (Oklahoma), lacks any
entry for the current survey. In 1976, it
was redesignated as Chickasaw National

Table 21. Changes in Lifetime Recall of National Park Visits

(Percentage of respondents in 1955 and 1982-83 surveys who recalled having visited selected national
parks1 2)

1982 to

1955

1983

1955

1983

National park

survey

National park

survey

Geat Smoky Mountains ... 11 21

Yellowstone 11 17

Grand Canyon 10 18

Carlsbad Caverns 7 10

Yosemite 6 13

Hot Springs 5 7

Mammoth Cave 5 9

Shenandoah 5 13

Rocky Mountain 5 16

Sequoia 4 10

Everglades 4 11

Bryce Canyon 4 7

Mt. Rainier 4 7

Grand Teton 4 10

Crater Lake 3 7

Glacier 3 1

Zion

Acadia

Lassen Volcanic

Mesa Verde

Olympic

Wind Cave

Big Bend

Piatt

Hawaii Volcanoes (form-
erly Hawaii National Park)

Kings Canyon

Denali (formerly Mt.

McKinley)

Isle Royale

Did not recall having

visited a national park . . .

363

7
4
3
6

4
4
3

(2)

1
2

344

x Less than one half of one percent.

'Respondents age 21 or older.

'These were the 28 national parks existing in 1955. Piatt National Park was redesignated Chickasaw
National Recreation Area in 1976 and was excluded from the 1982-83 survey.
3Total number of parks available for visiting was 28 in 1955 and 48 in 1982-83.

Recreation Area and hence did not meet
the criteria for inclusion in the 1982-83
list.
2. The 1955 survey was limited to persons
21 years of age or older. To meet this
criterion, respondents younger than 21
were eliminated from the 1982-83
sample before the percentages in the
second column of table 21 were
generated. This accounts for the minor
discrepancies in 1982-83 percentages be-
tween table 20 and 21.
A comparison of the 1955 and current
percentages of respondents who recalled
visits indicates that, to the degree that both
samples are representative, all the then-
existing national parks have increased, at
least slightly, their penetration into the life-
experience of the American people. In most
cases, the percentage recalling a visit has at
least doubled. In only a few instances —
notably advances by Shenandoah, Rocky
Mountain, and Grand Teton — did the
relative standing of the national parks on
this audience penetration measure shift
dramatically.

National Parks— Those Who
Go and Those Who Don't

In the 1955 Audience Research survey,
63 percent of the respondents did not recall
ever having visited a national park. In the
1982-83 NRS, less than half— 46 percent of
the sample— were unable to remember at

least one national park visit.4 As will be seen
in the first column of table 22, these non-
visitors are concentrated in the lower educa-
tional and income categories, and Blacks are
greatly overrepresented among them. The
last column of the table— the people with a
life list of at least 10 national parks— shows
essentially a mirror image of this pattern.
The demographic segments most seriously
underrepresented in this heavy visitor group
are Blacks (who are altogether absent) and
those of low educational attainment.

PAYING FOR NATIONAL

PARKS

WHO AND HOW MUCH?

Reflecting a widespread concern with
recreation fee policy, the National Park
Service sponsored four NRS questions to
elicit public opinion on this subject. The
survey pretest showed that younger
respondents found these questions irrelevant
and difficult to answer. In the full-scale
survey therefore, these fee and policy ques-
tions were asked only of respondents
16 years old or older. This limitation applies
to the remainder of this chapter and to the

'This apparent 18-percent difference reflects more
than an increased propensity of present-day
Americans to visit national parks. The opportunity to
log a visit has increased dramatically with the creation
of 21 new national parks since 1955. In some
regions, it would now require a modicum of care and
planning to maintain an unblemished lifetime record
of national park avoidance.

following chapter on Trends in Time and
Money Expenditures as well.

The first two fee questions elicited the
respondent's maximum willingness to pay for
a one-time entry as well as for an unre-
stricted annual pass to the national parks.
For these questions, the spectrum of
respondents was further restricted to those
who had indicated they were at least
"somewhat likely" to visit a national park in
the next 3 years. The results are depicted in
table 23. The first four columns list the
percentages of respondents who said they
would pay various maximum one-time entry
fees, and the final four columns give the
same information for annual passes.

Maximum willingness to pay declines
clearly with age. It increases, though less
consistently, with income. There is little dif-
ference between educational levels or be-
tween people who claim various likelihoods
of visiting a national park in the future.

These willingness-to-pay questions are
predictions of personal behavior. Little can
be inferred from them regarding the re-
spondent's perception of the fairness,
wisdom, or desirability of various fee
policies. Therefore, two direct, fee-policy
questions were also asked. Here, since these
issues of fiscal policy are relevant to the
population at large, the respondents with
little likelihood of future national park visits
were again included.

In the first of these fee policy questions,
the respondent was asked to choose the
most desirable of five ways of splitting an
assumed 5-dolIar-per visit park operating
cost between the visitor (fees) and the tax-
payer. The choices ranged from "all from
the visitor" through "half and half to "all
from the taxpayer." The results, displayed in
table A-2, in appendix A, indicate that cost
sharing between the taxpayer and the visitor
was preferred by 53 percent of the eligible
respondents. Seven percent said they pre-
ferred to have no visitor fees (to pay the
whole operating cost from taxes), but
28 percent said to charge the entire cost to
the visitor.

In the last of the national park fee ques-
tions, the respondent was shown a list of
four services provided to park visitors, and
asked "As I read the list, please tell me
whether the costs of each should be paid
for by visitors or from taxes" The results are
summarized in tables A-3 through A-6, in
appendix A. Again, the response partem
was highly consistent across the various
categories of respondents. Regardless of
previous national park experience or expec-
tation of future visits, respondents chose
visitor charges over taxes by margins of 2 or
3 to 1. This was especially pronounced in
the case of "rides on buses or other ways of
getting around the park" with 61 percent
favoring visitor fees, and least so for "special
talks and exhibits" with 41 percent. The
other two services— ^operating campgrounds"
and "operating advance reservation systems

Table 22. Number of National Parks Ever Visited, by Demographic
Characteristic

Demographic characteristic

Number of parks visited
(Percentage of respondents)

None

1 to 4

5 to 9

10 or
more

Average

number

of parks

visited

2.68

Total sample 47 33 11

Sex

Male 46 34 12

Female 48 33 11

Age

12 to 24 56 34 7

25 to 39 43 37 12

40 to 59 41 33 15

60 or more 47 29 12

Education

Less than high school 66 26 6

High school 47 35 11

Less than 4 years of college 31 37 17

4 or more years of college 24 37 21

Race

White 42 36 13

Black 83 15 1

Annual family income (dollars)

Under 5,000 69 22 5

5,000 to 14,999 56 31 8

15,000 to 24,999 47 35 12

25,000 to 49,999 33 39 16

50,000 or more 26 33 23

Family size

1 46 32 12

2 41 33 15

3 44 36 11

4 48 36 10

5 or more 54 34 8

Marital status

Married 41 35 14

Widowed, divorced, separated 51 30 11

Never married 55 30 8

Household cars owned

None 76 17 4

1 53 31 9

2 43 35 13

3 39 38 13

4 or more 37 39 15

Employment status

At work 44 34 13

Not at work 38 39 12

Unemployed 51 38 7

Keeping house 47 34 12

Going to school 57 30 11

Unable to work 66 14 10

Retired 52 26 12

Other 53 32 8

Size of locality of residence (population)

Under 5,000 46 38 10

5,000 to 24,999 42 36 14

25,000 to 99,999 45 32 13

100,000 to 999,999 46 31 12

1,000,000 or more 71 19 6

2.76

2.61

1.52

2.69

3.41

3.35

1.26

2.54

4.14

5.10

3.01

.33

1.24

1.93

2.52

3.67

4.93

2.88

3.53

2.73

2.21

1.96

3.18

2.56

2.01

.95

2.31

3.04

3.16

3.12

2.94

3.48

1.89

2.62

1.48

2.54

3.28

2.18

2.29

3.07

3.04

1.46

for camping and other services— fell between
these extremes.

This was a forced-choice question. The
respondent was given no alternatives beyond
those of charging the visitor or charging the
taxpayer. Perhaps the most remarkable result
was that a substantial proportion of the
respondents (17 to 26 percent) rejected both
of these choices and insisted that the four
services should be paid for by a combina-
tion of fees and taxes. This insistence on the
middle ground, in the absence of any in-
dication that this would be an acceptable
answer, suggests that a preference for cost-
sharing of visitor service expenses is very
widespread among the public— that a much
higher percentage would have chosen the
combination option if explicitly offered.

HOW TO RATION NATIONAL
PARKS -RANKING OF FOUR
OPTIONS

Peak season crowding has become a
major problem in the more popular national
parks. Various methods of limiting visits
during such periods have been under
discussion for many years. A question was
inserted in the 1982-83 NRS to test the
publics reaction to four such possibilities.
Again, the response pattern was consistent
across our groupings of respondents with
various past park experiences and different
expectations of future visits. The non-
park-visiting segment deviated somewhat
from this consistency, in that they, and they
alone, showed a substantial tendency to re-
ject the rationing of park visits outright. The
results of the responses to this rationing
question are summarized in tables A-7
through A-10 in appendix A.

Of the four rationing methods presented,
"letting people reserve park visits ahead of
time with reservations taken on a first-come,
first-serve basis" was clearly the most
popular, with 65 percent of the respondents
citing it as their first choice. Next was "letting
people apply in advance to reserve their
park visits, then drawing names to find out
who gets reservations." This option received
42 percent of the second choice votes. The
other two rationing methods— "turning
people away who come after a limit of
people are in the park" and "charging an
extra 5 dollars per adult visitor during the
summer in crowded parks" were not ranked
highly by most of the survey respondents.

SUMMARY

Chapters 3 and 4 have examined, from
the recreation visitor's standpoint, the various
locales— from back yards to national
parks— where outdoor recreation takes place.
In the final two chapters, the focus will shift
back to individuals where they live. These
chapters will examine peoples changing
commitments of time, money, and personal
involvement to outdoor recreation through-
out the life cycle.

Table 23. Maximum Acceptable National Park Entry Fees

(Percentage of respondents who said they would pay various maximum amounts for one-time entries and annual passes to national parks by demographic
characteristic1)

Maximum amount for one-time entry Maximum amount for annual pass

(dollars) (dollars)

Demographic 25 to 2.50 to 7.50 to 15.00 to 30.00 to 5.00 to 10.00 to 20.00 to 30.00 to 60.00 to

characteristic 2.49 7.49 14.99 29.99 100.00 9.99 19.99 29.99 59.99 100.00

Total sample 17 53 20 8 2 13 18 35 22 12

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months 17 51 21 9 2 11 17 39 21 12

Less likely in next 12 months but

very likely in next 3 years 14 53 22 9 3 11 19 35 23 13

Somewhat likely in next 3 years 18 55 19 7 2 16 18 32 22 11

Sex

Male 17 53 20 8 3 12 19 35 20 14

Female 17 53 20 8 2 14 17 35 24 11

Age

16 to 24 15 52 19 10 4 10 11 31 30 19

25 to 39 17 55 21 7 1 13 19 38 22 9

40 to 59 19 51 21 7 2 16 22 36 15 11

60 and over 17 54 19 9 1 17 25 33 15 11

Education

Less than high school 24 49 16 9 3 21 18 27 20 14

High school 19 55 19 6 1 14 20 35 21 11

Less than 4 years of college 16 51 22 8 2 12 19 39 20 10

4 or more years of college 12 56 22 8 2 10 22 41 21 6

Race

White 17 54 20 7 2 13 18 36 22 12

Black and other 20 41 19 14 6 17 15 31 21 17

Annual family income (dollars)

Under 5,000 23 46 19 6 7 17 19 22 27 15

5,000 to 14,999 20 51 19 9 1 15 18 30 22 16

15,000 to 24,999 17 54 21 7 2 12 18 36 23 11

25,000 to 49,999 16 56 20 7 1 13 18 38 21 10

50,000 or more 12 45 30 10 2 11 17 47 18 8

Family size

1 17 51 20 10 2 14 19 36 18 13

2 14 54 22 9 2 11 20 35 24 11

3 20 52 20 6 2 15 16 36 23 10

4 16 56 20 7 1 11 19 38 23 9

5 or more 21 51 18 8 3 17 16 30 18 19

Marital status

Married 18 54 19 7 1 15 21 36 20 9

Widowed, divorced, separated 19 49 23 8 1 16 18 35 18 13

Never married 15 51 20 10 4 9 12 33 27 19

Household cars owned

None 17 47 23 11 3 15 20 30 19 16

1 18 52 19 10 2 15 16 32 22 14

2 18 53 20 8 1 12 20 35 23 9

3 16 54 21 7 2 14 18 34 23 12

4 or more 14 54 22 6 4 12 15 40 18 15

Employment status

At work 16 54 20 8 2 11 19 36 22 12

With job, not at work 18 50 24 7 1 21 19 33 17 9

Unemployed 20 62 11 7 0 15 23 25 22 14

Keeping house 20 53 23 6 1 19 17 35 20 10

Going to school 23 38 23 14 2 13 7 26 34 20

Unable to work 27 47 19 8 0 16 14 39 31 0

Retired 20 51 19 8 2 16 26 31 16 11

Other 19 47 15 10 8 13 15 35 22 15

Size of locality of residence (population)

Under 5,000 18 55 22 5 1 17 21 29 24 10

5,000 to 24,999 17 51 22 9 2 10 17 37 22 15

25,000 to 99,999 14 53 21 9 3 13 17 38 22 11

100,000 to 999,999 22 51 18 7 2 14 15 34 24 12

'Respondents who were 16 years old or older and indicated that they were at least somewhat likely to visit a national park in the next 3 years.

CHAPTER 5

Trends in

Time and Money

Expenditures

Since the nationwide survey conducted by
the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review
Commission in 1960-61, samples of the
American public have listed reasons why
they do not participate in outdoor recreation
as often as they would like. As shown in
table 24, two of the more frequent

Table 24. Outdoor Activity
Constraints

(Percentage of respondents citing constraint)

Constraint

1960

1982-83

No constraints 28

Lack of time 52

Lack of money 13

Other reasons 84

6
56
20

historically listed constraints have been lack
of time and lack of money. In the 1982-83
NRS, the respondents aged 16 and over
were asked if their time and money expend-
itures had changed in the past 2 years and
if they expected changes in the next
2 years. If they indicated a change in
expenditures, the respondents were asked
the reason (s) for the change.

The purpose of these questions was
twofold: to find out if time and money
expenditures were changing in the short
term and to discover the reasons people
gave for changing the amount of time and
money they spent on outdoor recreation.
The results provide some insight into what
facilitates or limits participation in outdoor
recreation.

CHANGES IN TIME
EXPENDITURES

Only persons 16 years and older were
asked the questions about time expendi-
tures. The first question asked if the
respondent was spending more, less, or

about the same amount of time on outdoor
recreation in the present (1982 or 1983)
compared to 2 years earlier (1980 or 1981).
The second question asked if the respond-
ent expected to spend more, less, or the
same amount of time on outdoor recreation
2 years in the future (1984 or 1985). Figure
9 shows that 18 percent of the adult
respondents were spending more time
presently compared to 2 years ago, but
33 percent were spending less time. A

slightly greater percentage (53 percent) of
respondents said they would maintain their
present time commitments for the next
2 years compared with those (48 percent)
who had not changed during the 2 years
prior to the survey. People were optimistic
about spending more time in the future.
Thirty-seven percent intended to spend
more time engaging in outdoor recreation in
the next 2 years and only 9 percent in-
tended to spend less.

FIGURE 9

Recent and Expected Changes in Time Spent on
Outdoor Recreation

(Percentage of Respondents Age 16 or Older Who Cited
Increasing, Decreasing, or Unchanging Allocations of Time.)

Recent Change

48%

Expected Change

53%

33%

18%

37%

Spend

Will

less

change

spend

change

spend

time

less

tima

more
time

Recent change in time spent on
outdoor recreation compared to 2 years
prior to the interview.

Expected change in time spent on
outdoor recreation during the 2 years
following the interview.

The NRS activity questions provided two
approximate indicators of the amount of
time people spent in outdoor recreation—
number of activities and number of days
engaged in these activities during the
12 months prior to the interview. Figure 10
shows that the people who said they were
spending more time now than 2 years ago
were doing more activities than other
respondents— an average of 10 in a list of
36. The entire sample aged 16 and over
participated in an average of six activities.
The people who said they planned to spend
more time in the next 2 years already were
slightly more active, with an average of eight
activities in a year. Those spending less time
or not changing their present or future level
of activity averaged six activities, reflecting
the sample's average. It appears from these
results that about half of the adult popula-
tion did not alter their allocation of time to
outdoor recreation significantly over a 4-year
time span.

Figure 11 shows the number of activity-
days people said they engaged in outdoor
recreation.1 Respondents at least 16 years
old spent an average of 35 activity-days
participating in the recreation activities listed
on the NRS questionnaire. The pattern was
the same as that for the number of activi-
ties. People who spent more activity-days
than the average also said they spent or
intended to spend more time in outdoor
recreation.

The typical respondents indicating
decreased time expenditures for both the
present and the future were aged 40 and
over; earning an annual income of $10,000
to $15,000; Black; separated, divorced, or
widowed; and/or engaged in 1 to 10
recreation activities from the NRS list. Those
persons with increased time expenditures for
both the present and the future typically
were aged 25 to 40; working 1 to 20 hours
per week; earning annual incomes of over
$25,000; married; engaged in over 15 out-
door recreation activities; in a family of at
least four persons; college educated; and/or
living in the suburbs within an SMSA.2
People in a family of three indicated a
reduced time expenditure over the prior
2 years but expected to spend more time in
the future. In the opposite case, persons
aged 16 to 24 expected to engage in less
outdoor recreation 2 years in the future but
were presently spending a great deal of
time. In appendix A, tables A-ll and A-12
illustrate the relationship of these
demographic characteristics to changes in
time expenditure.

The respondents who did not indicate a
change in their time expenditures over the
prior 2 years or in the future included many
people not working; with annual incomes of

'Activity days are defined in chapter 1 and listed in
table 1.

These generalizations are based on a combination
of central tendencies. Few individuals share all of
these characteristics.

FIGURE 10

Average Number of Activities Engaged in by
Persons Citing Various Changes in Time Spent
on Outdoor Recreation

(Respondents Age 16 or Older)

Recent change

Expected change

Activities

6 6

Activities 1

Activities

Spend

Will

less

change

spend

change

spend

time

less
time

more
time

Recent change in time spent on outdoor
recreation compared to 2 years prior
to interview.

"Expected change in time spent on outdoor
recreation during the 2 years following interview.

FIGURE 11

Average Annual Number of Activity- Days of
Participation by Persons Citing Varions Changes in
Time Spent on Outdoor Recreation

(Respondents Age 16 or Older)

Recent Change

Expected Change

Activity -
days

Spend

less
time

No
change

Spend
more
time

Will

spend

less

No
change

Will
spend
more

time

Recent change in time spent on outdoor
recreation compared to 2 years prior
to interview.

"Expected change in time spent on outdoor
recreation during the 2 years following interview.

less than $10,000; not engaged in any out-
door activities; in a family of one or two
persons; with an education less than a high
school level; and/or living in rural areas.

Open-ended questions asked the re-
spondents why they changed the amount of
time spent on outdoor recreation to find out
from the respondents directly what they
perceived as limiting or facilitating the time
they spent in outdoor recreation. Table 25
lists the percentages of responses to these
followup questions concerning expenditure
of time. In appendix A, tables A-13 through
A-16 define the system used to code these
open-ended responses and detail the
percentages obtained for each response.

The facilitating factors that coincided with
spending more time in outdoor recreation
included the family, certain lifestyle changes
(such as gain of a companion, doing more,
enjoyment of a particular recreation activity,
change in recreation activity), more time
and/or money available, work-related
reasons, gain of equipment, and access to
or availability of physical resources. In-
creasing age of children was the most con-
sistent response given for spending more
time. Work-related reasons such as retire-
ment or change in number of working
hours also accounted for more time spent.
As shown in chapter 1, the pursuit of
outdoor recreation decreases as age in-
creases. Retirement is perceived by the
individual as an opportunity to spend more
time in outdoor recreation. However, the
amount of activity individuals pursue will
likely be less than they pursued in younger
years. As shown in table 4, the decline in
activity begins when individuals are in their
forties, well before retirement age for the
majority of workers.

The primary competitors with outdoor
recreation for an individual's time were work
and school. Lifestyle changes, health prob-
lems, and lack of time/money also con-
tributed to less time spent in outdoor recrea-
tion. Lifestyle changes in this category
included "getting older" or "aging," the most
consistent response. Family responsibilities
such as child care also contributed to less
outdoor recreation time spent. The age of
children, not simply the presence of children
in the household, influenced the amount of
time parents spent in outdoor recreation.

CHANGES IN MONEY
EXPENDITURES

The survey also asked similar questions
regarding the expenditure of money on out-
door recreation. Only those respondents
aged 16 and older who had spent money
for outdoor recreation in the 12 months
prior to their interview were asked the ques-

tions on how their expenditures had
changed. A total of 65 percent of the
sample spent money on outdoor recreation.
Table 26 lists the demographic characteristics
of the persons who said they had spent
money on outdoor recreation during the
past year. They were typically people who
were in smaller households, White, earning
greater incomes, and college graduates.
Most respondents aged 60 and older said
they did not spend money on outdoor
recreation.

Figure 12 illustrates how much the
respondents said they spent on outdoor
recreation during the 12 months prior to the
interview. A wide range of expenditure pat-
terns is evident. Before the question about
how much money they spent, the
respondents were asked what they spent
money on and were given a list of items.
Figure 13 illustrates that user fees, sporting
goods, and travel accounted for most of the
spending with clothing and equipment as
other major expense items. Other expenses
included license fees, rentals, and special
classes.

Respondents who cited more than one
type of expenditure were asked, "On which
one of these did you spend the most
money?" "Travel costs for outdoor recreation"
was the most frequent response.

Figure 14 indicates a slightly different
picture for money expenditure changes than
that shown for time expenditures.
Respondents tended to spend a larger
percentage of their money on outdoor
recreation in 1982-83 than they did 2 years
before, and expected to spend even more in
the next 2 years. Less than half of the
respondents said their expenses had re-
mained the same or expected them to stay
the same. Inflation appears to have influ-
enced these responses, as an examination of
the reasons for the change illustrates.

Income, age, marital status, and employ-
ment status showed a relationship with the
expenditure of money. About one in five
respondents in each age category said they
were spending a smaller percentage of their
income on outdoor recreation in 1982 than
2 years before. However, a disproportionate
number of the younger respondents spent
more in the present than 2 years ago, and
most of the respondents aged 40 and over
were spending about the same amount. The
older respondents also intended to remain at
the same expenditure level for the next
2 years. People who had never married
claimed to be spending more of their
income on outdoor recreation than 2 years
before and expected to spend an even
larger percentage in the future. As income
level increased, the proportion of persons
spending a larger percentage of their income
on outdoor recreation increased. In appen-

dix A, tables A-17 and A-18 list the demo-
graphic characteristics of persons by their
expenditures of money for outdoor
recreation.

When the respondents were queried
about why they were decreasing their
money expenditures, about half listed lack of
money or lack of time, as shown in
table 27. Spending money on outdoor
recreation was associated with lifestyle
changes such as doing more activities and
purchasing equipment. Inflation was a com-
mon constraint. Many people said they were
spending an increasing percentage of their
money (both over the prior 2 years and in
the future) because of inflation; however,
they did not indicate a decrease in their
pursuit of outdoor recreation.

Figure 15 illustrates the relationship be-
tween time and money expenditures. Only
respondents who spent money on outdoor
recreation and were at least 16 years old
are reflected in these percentages. The
majority of the respondents who claimed
they spent a larger percentage of their
income on outdoor recreation also said they
spent more time. The same correlation was
shown for those spending the same or a
smaller percentage of their income.
However, this correlation was not perfect,
showing that different factors influenced the
amount of time and the amount of money
spent on outdoor recreation.

SUMMARY

The most common reasons cited for
changes in rime spent in outdoor pursuits
were related to the changing stages of the
life-cycle. Next to old age, the most con-
straining life-condition seems to be the early
child-rearing years. This is followed by a
rapid increase as the children become older.

Table 25. Reason for Spending More Time or Less Time on Outdoor Recreation

(Percent)

Respondents citing

Reason for spending more time

Reason for spending less time

Respondents citing

Lifestyle changes, includes gain of companion,
change in recreation activity, enjoyment of a
specific activity

More time and/or money available

Family

Work, includes retirement

Health

Equipment gain

Resource opportunity

'Age 16 and older.

Work, includes school

Lifestyle changes, includes aging ....

Lack of time and/or money available

Poor health

Family responsibilities

Lack of equipment

Resource opportunity

26
25

16
11

2
2

Table 26. Characteristics of Respondents Who Spent Money on Outdoor Recreation

Demographic
characteristic

Percentage who
spent money

Demographic
characteristic

Family size

5 or more

Residence

SMSA1, center city . .
SMS A, not center city
Not SMSA

Work hours per week

1 to 20

21 to 39

41 or more

Activity participation
No activities

I to 5 activities

6 to 10 activities ....

II to 15 activities . . .
16 to 20 activities . . .
Over 20 activities ....

Region

Northeast

North Central

South

West

Percentage who
spent money

Total Sample

Sex

Male

Female

Age

16 to 24

25 to 39

40 to 59

60 and older

Race

White

Black

Other

Education

0 to 11 years

12 to 15 years

16 or more years

Annual income (dollars)

Less than 10,000

10,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 or more

Marital status

Single, never married . .
Single, formerly married
Married

73
56

70
78
65
37

67
46
60

5
48

38
52
72
78
83

67
44
69

44
61
70
73
68

57
69
65

53
69
76
73
79

5
53
81
92
96
99

64
64
62
69

'Percentage of respondents aged 16 and older who answered "yes" to the question "Did you spend any money in the past 12 months on outdoor recreation?"
zStandard Metropolitan Statistical Area.

FIGURE 12

Money Spent for Outdoor Recreation During 12 Months
Prior to Interview

(Percentage of Respondents Age 16 and Older Who Cited
Different Expenditures )

23%

ss than

$50 to

$100 to

$250 to

$500 to

$1000 or

$50

249

499

999

Percentages refer to the population of repondents age 16 or over
who said they spent money for outdoor recreation in the 12 months
prior to the interview (65% of the surveys respondents).

FIGURE 13

Purchases for Outdoor Recreation in Prior Year

(Percentage of Respondents 16 Years and Older Citing Each Purpose )

Travel costs for outdoor recreation
including food and lodging

Fees for entering and using out door

recreation areas and facilities,

includes membership fees

Sporting goods, including balls,
golf clubs, fishing tackle, etc.

Clothing for outdoor recreation

Other equipment and supplies

Boats, snowmobiles, aircraft, bicycles, and
recreation vehicles including campers, etc.

Maintenance and repair
of outdoor recreation equipment

Camping equipment

Other expenses

41%

34%

26%

22%

18%

Percentages refer to the population of respondents age 16 or over

who said they spent money for outdoor recreation in the 12 months

prior to the interview (65% of the survey's respondents).

Respondents were asked to indicate all categories in which they spent money.

FIGURE 14

Recent and Expected Changes in Money Spent on

Outdoor Recreation

(Percentage of Respondents 16 Years and Older )

Recent Change

41%

Expected Change

45% 46%

39%

Spend

a smaller

percent age

of money

No change

Spend

a larger

percent age

of money

Will Spend
a smaller
percentage
of money

No change

Will Spend
a larger

percentage
of money

Percentages refer to the population of respondents age 16 or over
who said they spent money for outdoor recreation in the 12 months
prior to the interview (65% of the survey's respondents).

Reported change in percentage Of
respondent's available money which
was spent on outdoor recreation
compared to 2 years prior to interview

Expected change in percentage of
respondent's available money which will
be spent on outdoor receation during 2
years following invterview.

FIGURE 15

Relationship of Recent Change in Time and Money

Expenditures for Outdoor Recreation

(Percentage of Respondents 1 6 Years and Older 1 )

Of those respondents who spent a
smaller percentage of their money
(20% of all eligible respondents):

Spent the
same amont ■
of time

Of those respondents who spent a
larger percentage of their money
(39% of all eligible respondents):

Spent the
same amont
of time

Spent more
time

Of those respondents who spent the
same percentage of their money
(41% of all eligible respondents):

.Spent mc:
r time

Spent the
same amont
of time

Spent more
time

Spent less

time

Spent less
time

Percentages refer to the population of respondents age 16 or over who said they spent money for
outdoor recreation in the 12 months prior to the interview (65% of the survey's respondents).

"Changes" (or lack thereof) refer to the respondents' current estimated rate of time or money
expenditure for outdoor recreation compared to what it was 2 years earlier. Eligible respondents
were first divided into three categories (the three circles) based on whether their estimated rate of
dollar expenditure (percentage of available dollars) had declined, stayed the same or risen. Each
category was then further divided into three sectors based on the percentage of respondents within it
whose estimated expenditure of time had declined, stayed the same or risen.

N, Spent less
time

Table 27. Reason for Spending a Larger Percentage or a Smaller Percentage of Money on Outdoor Recreation

(Percentage of respondents)

Respondents citing

Reason for spending a larger percentage

Respondents citing

Reason for spending a smaller percentage

Lifestyle changes, includes doing more
recreation activities

Time and/or money availability, includes
inflation

Equipment gain

Family

Work

Resource opportunity

Health

49
11

3
2

Lack of time and/or money available

Lifestyle changes

No need for or lack of equipment . . .
Family responsibility

Work responsibility
Poor health

Lack of resource opportunity

38
23
21

6
3

'Age 16 and older.

CHAPTER 6

Aging and Outdoor
Recreation

As a result of modern technology, longer
life expectancies and the maturing of the
baby boom generation, there is now and
will continue to be a higher proportion of
individuals over 60 years than ever before in
the history of the United States. This aging
of the population has spawned increased in-
terest in studying the leisure behavior of the
elderly. The importance of leisure and recre-
ation activities in the lives of older persons
has become clear in recent years. Past
research, using a life-cycle perspective, has
examined numerous aspects of leisure
behavior including such areas as activity
involvement, participation in physical
activities, and barriers to participation. These
studies, however, have been inconsistent in
their findings, indicating a need for further
research in the leisure patterns of the elderly
and how those leisure patterns have
changed over time.1

The final series of questions in the NRS
was sponsored by the Administration on
Aging to further investigate the involvement
of older Americans in outdoor recreation
pursuits. The results, presented here, cover
three broad areas.

The first section compares respondents
aged 60 and older with respondents under
60 years with respect to a variety of leisure
behaviors and perceptions. Included here
are comparisons related to the average
number of activities engaged in during the
previous 12 months; the average annual
number of activity-days of participation;
recent and prospective changes in expendi-
tures of time and money; the importance of
having recreation areas at varying distances
Tom home; and the importance of different
easons why individuals: (1) enjoy an activi-
y, (2) don't do an activity as often as they

'McGuire, FA. and F.D. Dottavio. 1984. Outdoor
creation participation across the lifespan: Abandon-
ment continuity, or liberation. Clemson University
lemson, SC.

would like, and (3) stop participating in an
activity.

The second and third sections deal exclu-
sively with respondents 60 years old and
older. These sections examine participation
in club-sponsored outdoor recreation activ-
ities, club memberships, outdoor recreation
skills and interests, and the role of older
Americans in transmitting those skills to
others by teaching or coaching. The specific
questions identify whether or not an indi-
vidual participated in any recreational activ-
ities sponsored by clubs or organizations, the
clubs sponsoring the activities, club member-
ships, skills the respondent has, which if any
are actually being taught and to whom, and
what the barriers are to teaching these skills.

COMPARISON OF

RESPONDENTS

60 YEARS AND OLDER WITH

THOSE UNDER 60

Table 28 summarizes the recreational in-
volvements of respondents 60 years and
older. When compared to respondents less
than 60 years, as well as to the entire sam-
ple, in almost every instance, those
respondents 60 years and older showed less
involvement in outdoor recreation. Almost
one-third (30 percent) of the older group
reported no participation in outdoor recrea-
tion activities, compared to 7 percent of
those under 60 years and 11 percent of the

Table 28. Involvement in Outdoor Recreation, by Age Groups

Age

Indicators of involvement
summarized over all activities

60 years
and over

Less than
60 years

Total
sample

Average number of activities participated
in once or more in prior 12 months 2.9

Percentage of respondents indicating
they participate in no outdoor
recreation activities 30

Average number of activity days
of participation in previous 12 months 12.4

Average number of days respondents

used various recreation areas in

previous 12 months-
Yards and similar areas

Neighborhood parks, etc

Community or regional parks, etc

More distant parks

Average estimated expenditure for
outdoor recreation in previous
12 months (dollars) 391

8.2

7
42.9

7.2

11
37.1

5.4

7.6

7.2

2.5

5.1

4.6

1.8

4.6

4.0

1.5

3.1

2.8

350

355

total sample. The findings presented in
table 28 indicate that respondents 60 years
old and older participated, on the average,
in about 3 activities during the prior
12 months and logged a total of approx-
imately 12 activity-days. Again, these figures
are substantially less than those cited for
respondents under 60 years and the total
sample. The average number of activities
engaged in for the two groups was 8.2 and
7.2, respectively, and the average number of
days of participation reported was 42.9 and
37.1, respectively.

Similar patterns emerged when the
respondents were asked to indicate how
many days in the past 12 months they used
recreation areas at various distances from
home. While the average number of days of
use, in all instances, decreased steadily from
yards and similar areas through neighbor-
hood and regional parks to more distant
destinations, the more elderly group showed
consistently lower averages (ranging from
5.4 days for yards to 1.5 days for more dis-
tant parks) than either those under 60 years
(7.6 to 3.1 days) or the total sample (7.2 to
2.8 days). The final row in table 28 sum-
marizes the respondents' estimates of how
many dollars they spent altogether on out-
door recreation during the prior 12 months.
Results here indicate that respondents
60 years and older were spending more
money— an average of $391— on outdoor
recreation than those under 60 ($350) and
the total sample ($355). This is the only
index of involvement in outdoor recreation
on which the respondents aged 60 and
older exceeded the other age categories.

Table 29 details the percentages of
respondents who gave selected reasons
(from a list) why they enjoy their favorite ac-
tivities. The reasons given were consistent
across all age categories, the most frequent
being "to enjoy nature and the outdoors"
and to get exercise or keep in shape."

Table 30 reports selected constraints to
participation in respondents' favorite activi-
ties. The most frequently cited reason, in all
cases, for not participating as often as an
individual would like was lack of time.
Almost one-third (30 percent) of those
60 years and older, twice as many under
60 (60 percent) and over half (56 percent)
of the entire sample mentioned lack of time
as a barrier to participation. The second
most frequently cited constraint for the older
group was personal health (22 percent)
followed by not having anyone to do the
activity with (14 percent). For those
respondents under 60, as well as for the
entire sample, the second and third most
frequent constraints were "not enough
money" and "no places to do the activity
around here."

Table 31 identifies selected reasons why
people have stopped participating in
particular recreation activities. When
respondents were asked to indicate whether
or not during the prior 2 years, they had
stopped participating in any outdoor recrea-

Table 29. Reasons for Enjoying Favorite Activities, by Age Groups

(Percentage of respondents who gave selected reasons why they enjoy their favorite activities')

Age

Reason

Enjoy nature and outdoors

Get exercise or keep in shape. .

For peace and quiet

Get away from problems2

To be with family or friends

Like people who do activity
Own and enjoy using equipment

Enjoy solitude

Something new or different. . . .
Other reasons (not on list)

'Percentages are based on the respondents who cited one or more activities they
"particularly enjoyed."
2"To get away from day-to-day living or problems."

Table 30. Constraints on Favorite Activities, by Age Groups

(Percentage citing constraint')

Age

Reasons

60 years

Less than

and over

years

Not enough time

Personal health reasons

No one to do activity with

Not enough money

No place to do activity

Inadequate transportation or too far

Crowded activity areas

Personal safety problems in
activity areas

Poorly maintained activity areas

Pollution problems in activity areas
Inadequate information on activity areas
Other reasons (not on list)

60 years

Less than

Total

and over

years

sample

'Percentage of respondents who gave selected reasons why they do not do their favorite activities "as
often as they would like". Percentages are based on those respondents who cited one or more activities
they "particularly enjoyed."

tion activities that they used to do, only
16 percent of those 60 years and older said
yes compared with 21 percent of those
under 60. A followup question asked
respondents who had stopped an activity
why they stopped. The reasons given
mirrored those found in table 30. Sixty-
seven percent of the older respondents
reported health-related reasons for stopping
an activity followed by "no people to do the
activity with" (12 percent). All other reasons
listed for stopping an activity were cited by
less than 10 percent of those respondents
60 years and older. Conversely, respondents

under 60 most frequently cited lack of time
(39 percent) as the reason they quit an
activity. For the nonelderly, health reasons
(23 percent) and lack of people to do the
activity with (21 percent) also played fairly
substantial roles in their decisions to stop
participating. For all groups, poor main-
tenance and pollution at the activity sites
were the least frequently cited reasons for
stopping an activity.

Several other questions in the NRS asked
respondents to compare the time and
money they currently spend on outdoor
recreation to what they spent 2 years prior

Table 31. Reasons for Discontinuing a Recreation Activity, by Age Groups

(Percentage citing reason')

Age

Reason

Personal health reasons

No one to do activity with

Not enough time

No place to do activity around here.
Inadequate transportation or too

far to travel

Personal safety problems in

activity areas

Not enough money

Crowded activity areas

Poorly maintained activity areas
Pollution problems in activity areas
Inadequate information on

activity areas

Other reasons (not on list)

60 years

Less than

Total

and over

60 years

sample

(x)

x Less than one half of one percent.

'Percentage of respondents who gave selected reasons why they stopped doing a recreation activity.

NOTE: Percentages are based on those respondents who said they stopped an activity in the prior 2
years (19 percent of the total sample).

Table 32. Changes in Time and Money Spent for Outdoor Recreation, by
Age Groups

(Percentage of respondents')

Age

Type of expenditure

60 years
and over

Less than
60 years

Total
sample

Current time spent on outdoor
recreation compared to 2 years ago

About same

Less

Estimated future time spent on
outdoor recreation

About same

Less

Current percentage of money spent
on outdoor recreation compared to
2 years ago

Larger

About same

Smaller

Estimated future percentage of money
to be spent on outdoor recreation

Larger

About same

Smaller

8
58
34

16
65
19

29
51
20

27
60
12

21
46
33

41
39
20

18
48
33

39
41
20

46
45
10

'Percentage of respondents who gave various estimates of past and future changes in expenditures of
ime and money for outdoor recreation.

to the interview and to estimate how that
time and money expenditure would change
in the next 2 years. Table 32 compares the
responses to each of these questions for in-
dividuals 60 years and older and those
under 60 years. The largest numbers
(58 percent of those 60 and older and 46
percent of those under 60) of individuals in
both groups indicated they were spending
about the same amount of time on outdoor
recreation compared to 2 years ago. Over
one-third in each group said they were
spending less time while only 8 percent of
those 60 and older and 21 percent of those
under 60 reported spending more time on
outdoor recreation than they did 2 years
before.

Different results occurred when respond-
ents were asked to project future outdoor
recreation involvement. Again, the majority
of individuals in both groups reported they
would be spending about the same amount
of time on outdoor recreation in 2 years.
However, 19 percent of the more elderly
respondents said they would spend less time
compared to only 7 percent of those under
60. The reverse was true of the spending
more time category with 43 percent of those
under 60 and 16 percent of those 60 and
over indicating increasing involvement over
the next 2 years.

Results of the questions about the amount
of money spent on outdoor recreation
revealed that over half of the respondents
60 and older were spending about the same
as they did 2 years before and expected to
be spending about the same 2 years later. A
little more than one-fourth (27 percent) of
the aging respondents expected to be
spending more in the future. Just the
reverse was true for those under 60, the
largest proportions of whom said they were
spending more than 2 years earlier (41 per-
cent) or expected to be spending a larger
percentage of their money on outdoor
recreation in the future (48 percent). Slightly
fewer people cited no change in expenditure
over the prior 2 years or expected to be
spending the same proportion of their
money on outdoor recreation in the future
(39 and 43 percent, respectively).

CLUB ACTIVITY AND
MEMBERSHIPS OF
INDIVIDUALS 60 YEARS
AND OLDER

Table 33 summarizes the recreational in-
volvement of individuals 60 years and older
in club-sponsored recreational activities.
Specifically, respondents were asked to in-
dicate whether or not they had participated
in any outdoor recreation activities which
were sponsored by a club or organization,
the names of the organizations or clubs, and
whether or not they held memberships in
these clubs or organizations.

Table 33. Club-Sponsored Outdoor Recreation Activities by Respondents
Aged 60 and Older

Type of club
or organization

Percentage
participating1

Senior citizen group

Church group

Country club

Sportsmen club

Fraternal organization .
Charitable organization

22
19
11

10
7
6

Type of club
or organization

Percentage
participating1

Union/employee organization

Garden club

Cultural organization

Ethnic organization

Other club or organization

3
3
3

3
21

■Percentages based on those respondents aged 60 and older who said they participated in one or more
club sponsored outdoor recreation activities during the prior 12 months.

Table 34. Outdoor Recreation Skills and Teaching Activities of Respondents
Aged 60 and Older

(Percentage of respondents)

Skill

Teach-

Having ing

skill skill1

Total having or teaching
any outdoor recreation
skill

Bicycling

Horseback riding

Golf

Tennis

Team sports. .
Canoeing ....

Sailing

Motor boating
Swimming . . .
Fishing

19
0
2
6
9

Skill

Teach-

Having ing

skill skill1

Hunting

Camping

Hiking

Birdwatching or other

nature study

Downhill skiing

Frisbee-horseshoes

Archery

Target shooting

Training exhibit animals

Game skill

Gardening

Coaching, officiating . .

6
2

4
1
3
2
4
13
1

20
9
0

7
4
6
3
4
17
0

■For each skill, the "actively teaching" percentage (second column) is based only on those respondents
(first column) who claimed to have a teachable level of proficiency in that skill.

Table 35. Reasons for Not Teaching Outdoor Skills

(Cited by respondents aged 60 and older)

Reasons

Have not been asked

Not enough time

Not interested

Personal health reasons

No contact with organizations

Percent-
age

44
35
28
21
14

Reasons

Percent-
age

No teaching abilities/uncomfortable

teaching 10

No equipment or supplies 6

No transportation 2

Other reasons (not on list) 13

NOTE: Percentages are based on those respondents who indicated having one or more teachable skills.

Results indicated that only 13 percent of
those respondents aged 60 and older had
taken part in any outdoor recreation
activities sponsored by a club or organization
during the last 12 months. Twenty- two per-
cent of these individuals cited senior citizen
groups as the sponsoring organization.
Nearly one-fifth (19 percent) cited church
groups and only about 1 out of 10 indi-

viduals indicated participating in country
club- and sportsmen's club-sponsored activ-
ities. Other groups cited included fraternal,
charitable, union /employee, cultural, and
ethnic organizations, as well as garden clubs.
More than half of the participants in club-
sponsored outdoor activities were members
of the sponsoring group.

OUTDOOR RECREATION
INTERESTS AND SKILLS
OF INDIVIDUALS
60 YEARS AND OLDER

This section of the survey looks exclu-
sively at respondents 60 years and older —
what skills they have, which skills they teach
and to whom, and what keeps the non-
teachers from teaching. To examine these
questions, respondents were first asked if
they had any outdoor recreation skill or in-
terest which they thought they could help
others learn or practice. The 16 percent
who responded yes to that question were
then asked to list those skills (up to three).
An additional question asked the same
individuals if they were currently teaching
those skills to others. Nearly one-quarter
(24 percent) indicated that they were actu-
ally teaching their skills to others.

Table 34 combines all this information and
compares which skills individuals say they
have and which of those skills they were ac-
tually teaching at the time of the interview.
The teachable skills most frequently cited by
respondents 60 years old and older were
fishing (25 percent); hunting (14 percent);
swimming and gardening (13 percent each);
and golf, camping, and team sports (12 per-
cent each). The second column shows the
percentage of those respondents citing each
skill who said they were actually teaching at
the time of the interview. As was true of the
first column, fishing and hunting led the list.
Twenty-nine percent of the fishermen and
20 percent of the hunters reported actually
teaching their sport. Nearly one-fifth of the
repondents having golf, team sport, and
gardening skills said they were actively
teaching.

Most were teaching skills to family or
friends (56 percent and 46 percent, respec-
tively). Nearly one-quarter of those teaching
were teaching members of various organiza-
tions, while only 12 percent reported
teaching other persons.

The final table in this section (table 35)
lists selected reasons why people don't teach
the skills they have. Specifically, respondents
were asked to indicate, by choosing reasons
from a list, why they don't teach the recrea-
tion skills or interests they have. From the
results reported here, it appears that the
primary reason is that they haven't been
asked (44 percent). Over one-third cited
lack of time (35 percent) while over one-
quarter (28 percent) were simply not in-
terested in teaching. Only 10 percent indi-
cated that they didn't know how to teach or
wouldn't feel comfortable teaching.

SUMMARY

In general, respondents 60 years and
older can be characterized as much less ac-
tive than those under 60 years. During the
12 months prior to the interview, they par-

ticipated on the average in three activities for
approximately 12 activity-days and spent
almost 400 dollars. They typically cited en-
joyment of nature as the reason for enjoying
their favorite activities; not enough time as
their reason for not doing their favorite ac-
tivities as often as they would like; and per-
sonal health as the reason for discontinuing
a recreational activity. Respondents 60 years

and over were spending about the same
amount of time and money as they had in
the 2 years prior to the survey and
predicted this to be the case in the future.
Overall, few individuals reported participating
in club-sponsored activities. Of those that
did, however, it was primarily with senior
citizen or church groups of which they were
members. Lastly, results indicated that the

role of senior citizens in teaching outdoor
recreation skills seems to be centered around
hunting, fishing, golfing, gardening, and
team sports— most of which were being
taught to friends and family. The primary
reason cited by respondents for not teaching
skills to others was never being asked.

Appendix A

Table A-l. Outdoor Recreation Activities not Listed on Questionnaire or Information Card Booklet, by Annual
Participation Rate and Choice as Favorites

(Percentage of total sample)

Activity

Annual Chose

participation activity as

rate1 favorite2

Activity

Annual

Chose

participation

activity as

rate1

favorite2

(x)

.(x)

4.2

(x)

Attend miscellaneous events not listed

Hang gliding, parachuting and other

aircraft activities

Orienteering

Mountain climbing, rock climbing

and caving

Gathering and collecting activities

Baseball

Softball

Football

Basketball

Soccer

Ice hockey

Volleyball

Other team sports

Badminton

Frisbee-horseshoes

Tag, hide-and-seek, other children's games .

Archery

Target shooting

Raising/training/exhibiting animals

Roller skating, skateboarding

Unclassified skating

Unclassified games-sports

Other games-sports

(x)

1
1
1
0
.(x)
.2

.2
.0

.2
.1

5.2
5.5
4.1
4.6
1.5

.2
2.1

.8
1.1
.1
.1
.4
.2
.5
.2
.4
.7

Sunbathing

Skin diving, snorkeling, scuba diving

Rafting, tubing

Surfing

Windsurfing

Gardening/yard work

Enjoying/being in yard/at home

Enjoying the outdoors

Going to/enjoying parks

Going to/enjoying the cabin, summer
place, etc

Traveling

Other enjoying places/environments

Relaxing

Fitness/exercise activities not
elsewhere classified

Coaching, officiating, instructing

Motorcycling, motorbiking (on road or

nonspecific), and all motor vehicle racing
Miscellaneous outdoor recreation activities

not elsewhere classified

(x)

1.1

x Less than 0.05 percent.

'Percentage who said they participated once or more during the prior 12 months. As many as four unlisted activities per respondent were recorded.
Respondents were asked to name up to three activities that they "particularly enjoyed doing."

NOTE: Apparent discrepancies between the two columns result from question-order. The example of baseball will illustrate. Before the
activity list was introduced, respondents were asked to name the activities they "particularly enjoyed doing." Baseball was cited by 5.2 percent
of them. After extensive exposure to the list, the respondents were asked to name any other outdoor recreation activities they had taken part
in during the prior 12 months. Few (0.1 percent) named baseball since they had already cited any baseball participation under "outdoor team
sports."

Table A-2. Preferences for Allocating National Park Operating Costs

[Percentage choosing each of five cost breakdowns')

Respondent
:haracteristic

Number of national parks ever visited

None

1 to 4

5 to 9

10 or more

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months

Less likely in next 12 months but very likely
in the next 3 years

Somewhat likely in the next 3 years

Not very likely in the next 3 years

Total sample

All from

3/4 ($3.75)

1/2 ($2.50)

1/4 (1.25)

Nothing from

visitor,

from visitor,

from visitor.

visitor, all

nothing

rest from

from

from taxes

taxes

No opinion

'Percentage of respondents aged 16 or older who preferred each of five allocations of an assumed five dollar per visit operating cost between visitor charges and taxes.

Table A-3. Respondent Views on Operating Costs of National Park Campgrounds

(Percentage of respondents aged 16 or older who preferred each of three ways of allocating the costs of operating national park campgrounds)

Respondent characteristic

Visitor
fees

Taxes

Visitor fees
and taxes

No opinion
and other1

Number of national parks
ever visited

None 38 25

1 to 4 47 20

5 to 9 53 17

10 or more 51 19

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months 49 22

Less likely in next 12 months but very likely in next 3 years 49 22

Somewhat likely in next 3 years 46 23

Not very likely in next 3 years 39 20

Total sample 44 22

'Includes approximately one percent who offered the view that campgrounds should not be provided in national parks.

22
30
29

28
27
29
23

15
3
1
1

Table A-4. Respondent Views on How to Cover Costs of Special Talks and Exhibits in National Parks

(Percentage of respondents aged 16 or older who preferred each of three ways of allocating the costs of special talks and exhibits in national parks)

Respondent
characteristic

Visitor
fees

Taxes

Visitor fees
and taxes

No opinion
and other'

Number of national parks ever visited

None 39 25 19

1 to 4 45 26 23

5 to 9 44 29 24

10 or more 38 34 26

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months 46 28 23

Less likely in next 12 months but very likely in next 3 years 41 31 25

Somewhat likely in next 3 years 45 30 22

Not very likely in next 3 years 37 23 19

Total sample 41 27 22

'Includes approximately one percent who offered the view that special talks and exhibits should not be provided in national parks.

17
6
3
2

65
Table A- 5. Respondent Views on How to Cover Costs of Reservation Systems in National Parks

(Percentage of respondents aged 16 or older who preferred each of three ways of allocating the costs of operating advance reservation systems for camping
and other activities in national parks)

Respondent Visitor Visitor fees No opinion

characteristic fees Taxes and taxes and other'

Number of national parks ever visited

None 42 22 19 17

I to 4 55 18 22 5

5 to 9 58 18 20 3

10 or more 58 16 21 5

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months 58 20 19 4

Less likely in next 12 months but very likely in next 3 years 56 19 22 3

Somewhat likely in next 3 years 49 24 23 4

Not very likely in next 3 years 44 17 18 21

Total sample 50 20 20 10

'Includes approximately one percent who offered the view that advance reservation systems for camping and other activities should not be provided in national parks.

Table A-6. Respondent Views on How to Cover Costs of Rides on Buses or Other Ways of Getting Around in Na-
tional Parks

(Percentage of respondents aged 16 or older who preferred each of three ways of allocating the costs of buses and other public transportation systems)

Respondent Visitor

characteristic fees Taxes

Number of national parks ever visited

None 54 16

1 to 4 65 14

5 to 9 67 12

10 or more 69 13

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months 66 15

Less likely in next 12 months but very likely in next 3 years 65 14

Somewhat likely in next 3 years 64 16

Not very likely in next 3 years 55 13

Total sample 61 14 17

'Includes approximately one percent who offered the view that rides on buses or other ways of getting around the park should not be provided.

Visitor fees

No opinion

and taxes

and other'

Table A-7 . Preference Rankings for Turning People Away Who Come After a Limit of People are in Park" to Reduce
Overcrowding in National Parks

(Percentage of respondents 16 years old or older selecting each ranking)

Respondent
characteristic

First
choice

Second
choice

Third
choice

Fourth
choice

Unac-
ceptable

opinion

Number of national parks ever visited

None

1 to 4

5 to 9

10 or more

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months

Less likely in next 12 months but very

likely in next 3 years

Somewhat likely in next 3 years

Not very likely in next 3 years

Total sample

x less than one half of one percent.

(x)

Table A-8. Preference Rankings for "Letting People Apply in Advance Then Drawing Names" to Allocate Reserva-
tions as a Means of Reducing Overcrowding in National Parks

(Percentage of respondents 16 years old or older selecting each ranking)

Respondent
characteristic

First
choice

Second
choice

Third
choice

Fourth
choice

Unac-
ceptable

opinion

Number of national parks ever visited

None

1 to 4

5 to 9

10 or more

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months

Less likely in next next 12 months but very

likely in next 3 years

Somewhat likely in next 3 years

Not very likely in next 3 years

Total sample

x Less than one half of one percent.

Table A-9. Preference Rankings for "Taking Reservations on a First-Come, First-Serve Basis" to Reduce Over-
crowding in National Parks

(Percentage of respondents 16 years old or older selecting each ranking)

Respondent
characteristic

First
choice

Second
choice

Third
choice

Fourth
choice

Unac-
ceptable

No
opinion

Number of national parks ever visited

None

1 to 4

5 to 9

10 or more

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months

Less likely in next next 12 months but very

likely in next 3 years

Somewhat likely in next 3 years

Not very likely in next 3 years

Total sample

(x)

x Less than one half of one percent.

Table A-10. Preference Rankings for "Charging an Extra 5 Dollars Per Adult Visitor" to Reduce Overcrowding in
National Parks

(Percentage of respondents 16 years old or older selecting each ranking)

Respondent
characteristic

First
choice

Second
choice

Third
choice

Fourth
choice

Unac-
ceptable

No
opinion

Number of national parks ever visited

None

1 to 4

5 to 9

10 or more

Likelihood of visiting a national park

Very likely in next 12 months

Less likely in next 12 months but very

likely in next 3 years

Somewhat likely in next 3 years

Not very likely in next 3 years

Total sample

Table All. Time Expenditure Changes for Outdoor Recreation: Present Compared With 2 Years Earlier

(Percentage of respondents age 16 and older)

Demographic
characteristic

Spending
more time

Spending
less time

Spending
same time

Demographic
characteristic

Spending Spending Spending

more time

less time

me same time

Total sample

Sex

Male

Female

Age

16 to 24

25 to 39

40 to 59

60 or more

Race

White

Black

Other

Education

0 to 11 years

12 to 15 years

16 or more years

Annual income (dollars)

Less than 10,000

10,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 or more

Marital status

Single, never married . .
Single, formerly married
Married

19
15
25

5
18
23

13
15
19
24
28

24
13
18

33
34

37
34
31
34

33
37
40

32
35
33

37
37
33
29
24

33
36
33

48
49

42
56
58

49
48
36

48
44

48
48
47
49

43
52
49

Family size

5 or more

Residence

SMSA1, center city . . .
SMS A, not center city
Not SMSA

Work hours per week

1 to 20

21 to 39

41 or more

Activity participation
No activities

I to 5 activities

6 to 10 activities

II to 15 activities
16 to 20 activities
Over 20 activities

Region

Northeast

North Central

South

West

12
16
19
22
23

18
20
16

18
25
18
18
19

1
12
22
27
41
46

19
19
15
21

'Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Table A- 12. Estimated Time Expenditure Changes in Outdoor Recreation For Next 2 Years

(Percentage of respondents 16 years or older)

Demographic
characteristic

Will spend
more time

Will spend
less time

Will spend
same time

Demographic
characteristic

Will spend
more time

Will spend
less time

Will spend
same time

Total sample

Sex

Male

Female

Age

16 to 24

25 to 39

40 to 59

60 or more

Race

White

Black

Other

Education

0 to 11 years

12 to 15 years

16 or more years

Annual income (dollars)

Less than 10,000

10,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 50,000

50,000 or more

Marital status

Single, never married . .
Single, formerly married
Married

36
38

40
49
36
16

38
36
44

14
36
45

25
35
40

45
44

38
30
39

9
9

12
4
6

9
12
13

16
10

16
11

7
7
3

54
52

48
46
58
65

54
52
43

70
54
48

59
54
52
48
53

50
57
54

Family size

5 or more

Residence

SMSA1, center city . . .
SMS A, not center city
Not SMSA

Work hours per week

1 to 20

21 to 39

41 or more

Activity participation
No activities

I to 5 activities

6 to 10 activities

II to 15 activities . . . .
16 to 20 activities
Over 20 activities . . . .

Region

Northeast

North Central

South

West

23
32
43
46
41

39
40
33

30
44
43
42
45

10
32
47
50
39
47

33
36
34

10
7
7
8

10
8
9

61
58

50
47
51

51
52
57

57
44
51
53
49

75
57
47
44
51
45

50
51
51
48

'Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Table A-13. Reasons For Spending More Time in Outdoor Recreation

(Percentage of respondents 16 years and older citing each reason)

Reasons2

Spending more time

compared to 2 years

prior to survey

Will spend more

time 2 years after

survey

Reasons2

Spending more time

compared to 2 years

prior to survey

Will spend more

time 2 years after

survey

Work/school-related changes ....

Working more/less

Getting/having a job

Unemployed

Retired

Entering/in school

Leaving school

Other work/school changes . . .

Family-related changes

Family responsibilities

Marriage

Loss of spouse

Child care responsibilities

Increasing age of children

No children at home

Spouse's schedule

Dependent's health

Other family changes

Lifestyle-related changes

Getting older/aging

Doing more

Moving

Travel

Gain companion

Like specific activity

Competition with nonrecreation

activities

Change in recreation behavior .
Other lifestyle changes

13.1
2.9

.4
2.7
4.0

.3
1.6
1.2

18.0
.6
.9
.4
.5

13.2
.8
.7
.0
.9

29.3
1.9
3.6
1.2
.7
5.0
7.6

1.0

6.1
2.2

16.4

4.6

5.5

2.8

1.5

25.9

19.7

1.2

1.1

1.0

19.7
.9
2.2
1.8
1.2
2.0
7.6

1.1
1.8
1.1

Health-related changes

Good/better health

Poor/worse health

To improve health

To reduce stress

Other health changes

Equipment/transportation-related

changes

Have more equipment

Have less equipment

Gain automobile

Gain other transportation

Other equipment/transportation
changes

Resource access-related changes .

Gain of a yard

More opportunity

Resource characteristics

Gain park access

Gain second home

Other resource access changes .

Money/time-related changes ....

More/enough income

Less/insufficient income

Inflation

More/enough time

Less/insufficient time

Schedule more time

Other money/time changes . . .

Don't know

7.0

4.5

1.1

6.3
3.2

.1
1.3

1.2

5.6
.1

1.4
.2
.5
.3

3.1

20.1

2.8

13.4

2.8

8.4
2.7

.0
3.5
1.8

2.4

1.6

2.1
.2
.4
.1
2
.1

1.1

24.8

5.1

10.2

8.7

'16 years and older.

2Codes were developed from responses to open-ended questions number 6b and 6d.

Table A- 14. Reasons for Spending Less Time for Outdoor Recreation

(Percentage of respondents 16 years and older citing each reason)

Reasons'

Spending less time

compared to 2 years

prior to survey

Work/school-related changes .

Working more/less

Getting/having a job

Unemployed

Retired

Entering/in school

Leaving school

Working and in school

Other school/work changes .

Family-related changes

Family responsibilities

Marriage

Loss of spouse

Child care responsibilities . . .
Increasing age of children . . .

No children at home

Spouse's schedule

Dependent's health

Other family changes

Lifestyle-related changes

Getting older/aging

Doing less

Moving

Travel

Loss of companion

Dislike specific activity

Competition with nonrecreation

activities

Change in recreation behavior .
Other lifestyle changes

Will spend less
time 2 years
after survey

26.0

24.8

9.3

4.6

10.5

10.9

2.6

4.6

1.8

3.7

13.9

7.8

1.3

1.0

6.0

2.3

1.0

1.1

2.1

2.0

17.6

32.0

6.4

21.3

1.3

2.1

3.5

4.4

3.4

1.1

Reasons'

Spending less time

compared to 2 years

prior to survey

Health-related changes

Poor/ worse health

Other health changes

Equipment/transportation-
related changes

Have less equipment

Poor equipment condition ....

Loss of automobile

Loss of other transportation . . .

Other equipment/transportation

changes

Resource access-related changes .

Loss of a yard

Less opportunity

Resource characteristics

Resource restraints

Loss of park access

Other resource/access changes

Money/time-related changes ....

Less/insufficient money

Inflation

Competing demands for money

More/enough time

Less/insufficient time

Schedule less time

Other money/time changes . . .

Don't know

13.1

7.4
5.7

2.3
.3
.1
.4
.4

1.1

Will spend less
time 2 years
after survey

18.3
8.8
9.5

1.5
.2
.0
.1
.3

'Codes were developed from responses to open-ended questions number 6b and 6d.

3.2

2.1

1.3

22.6

12.8

4.8

2.9

1.8

2.9

15.4

5.6

Table A- 15. Reasons Given for Spending a Smaller Percentage of Income for Outdoor Recreation

(Percentage of respondents citing each reason1)

Reason2

Spending smaller Will spend smaller

percentage of in- percentage of

come compared to income 2 years

2 yrs. prior survey after survey

Reason2

Spending smaller Will spend smaller

percentage of in- percentage of

come compared to income 2 years

2 yrs. prior survey after survey

Work/school-related changes ....

Working more/less

Getting/having a job

Unemployed

Retired

Entering/in school

Leaving school

Working and in school

Other work/school changes . . .

Family-related changes

Family responsibilities

Marriage

Loss of spouse

Child care responsibilities

Increasing age of children

No children at home

Spouse's schedule

Dependent's health

Other family changes

Lifestyle-related changes

Getting older/aging

Doing less

Moving

Travel

Loss of companion

Dislike specific activity

Competition with nonrecreation

activities

Change in recreation behavior .
Other lifestyle changes

5.3

6.9

1.9

1.6

1.8

2.9

7.8

7.5

1.1

3.4

1.7

3.0

24.6

20.4

5.0

16.0

9.4

3.2

2.1

1.4

1.9

1.6

Health-related changes

Good/better health

Poor/ worse health

Other health changes

Equipment/transportation-related
changes

Have more equipment

Have less equipment

Poor equipment condition ....

Loss of automobile

Loss of other transportation . . .

Other equipment/transportation
changes

Resource access-related changes .

Loss of a yard

Less opportunity

Resource restraints

Loss of park access

Loss of second home

Other resource access changes .

Money/time-related changes ....

More/enough income

Less/insufficient income

Inflation

More competing demands for
money

Less competing demands for
money

Less/insufficient time

Schedule less time

Other time/money changes . . .
Don't know .■

4.3

1.8

2.6

1.1

1.7

8.8

33.5

6.7

30.1

1.2

3.5

1.4

45.0

28.7

3.8

5.2

14.9

4.7

8.3

9.1

1.2

2.0

1.3

1.4

13.7

3.7

1.7

2.2

'Percentage of respondents 16 years and older who said they spent money on outdoor recreation in 12 months prior to their interview.
2Codes were developed from responses to open-ended questions number 6j and 61.

Table A-16. Reasons Given for Spending a Larger Percentage of Income on Outdoor Recreation

(Percentage of respondents 16 years and older who said they spent money for outdoor recreation in the 12 months prior to their interview)

Reasons'

Spending a larger Will spend a larger
percentage of in- percentage of in-
come compared to come 2 years
2 years prior to survey after survey

Reason1

Spending a larger Will spend a larger
percentage of in- percentage of in-
come compared to come 2 years
2 years prior to survey after survey

Work/school-related changes .

Working more/less

Getting/having a job

Unemployed

Retired

Entering/in school

Leaving school

Other work/school changes

Family-related changes ....
Family responsibilities . . .

Marriage

Loss of spouse

Child care responsibilities
Increasing age of children
No children at home ....

Spouse's schedule

Dependent's health

Other family changes . . .

Lifestyle-related changes

Getting older/aging

Doing more

Moving

Travel

Gain companion

Like specific activity

Competition with non-
recreation activities

Change in recreation behavior
Other lifestyle changes

Health-related changes
Good/better health .
Poor/worse health .

2.2

3.6

1.0

1.4

5.7

10.9

3.8

8.5

23.6

28.4

11.7

18.9

4.6

1.2

4.2

2.3

1.4

1.0

Health-related changes— cont.

To improve health

To reduce stress

Other health changes

Equipment/transportation-related

changes

Have more equipment

Have less equipment

Poor equipment condition ....

Gain automobile

Gain other transportation

Other equipment/transportation
changes

Resource access-related changes .

Gain of a yard

More opportunity

Resource restraints

Other resource access changes .

Money/time-related changes ....

More/enough income

Less/insufficient income

Inflation

More competing demands for

money

Less competing demands for

money

More/enough time

Less/insufficient time

Schedule more time

Other money/time-related

changes

Don't know

'Codes were developed from responses to open-ended questions number 6j and 61

15.2

6.8

11.2

5.4

3.1

2.2

1.1

1.0

49.8

47.7

5.9

6.4

38.8

31.4

2.2

6.3

2.6

1.4

Table A- 17. Present Money Expenditures for Outdoor Recreation Compared With 2 Years Prior to Interview

(Percentage of respondents 16 years and older who had spent money on outdoor recreation in past year)

Demographic
characteristic

Spending Spending Spending

larger smaller same

percentage percentage percentage

Demographic
Characteristic

Spending Spending Spending

larger smaller same

percentage percentage percentage

Total sample

Sex

Male

Female

Age

16 to 24

25 to 39

40 to 59

60 or more

Race

White

Black

Other

Education

0 to 11 years

12 to 15 years

16 or more years

Annual income (dollars)

Less than 10,000

10,000 to 14,999

15,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 or more

Marital status

Single, never married . .
Single, formerly married
Married

Family size

5 or more

Residence

SMSA1, center city . . .
SMS A, not center city
Not SMSA

Work hours per week

1 to 20

21 to 39

41 or more

Activity participation
No activities

I to 5 activities

6 to 10 activities

II to 15 activities
16 to 20 activities
Over 20 activities . . . .

Region

Northeast

North central

South

West

'Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Table A- 18. Estimated Changes in Money Expenditures for Outdoor Recreation During Next 2 Years

(Percentage of respondents 16 years and older who had spent money on outdoor recreation in past year)

Demographic
characteristic

Will spend

larger

percentage

Will spend Will spend

smaller same

percentage percentage

Total sample .

Sex
Male . .
Female

Age

16 to 24 . .
25 to 39 . .
40 to 59 . .
60 or more

Race

White

Black

Other

Education
0 to 1 1 years . . .
12 to 15 years . .
16 or more years

-\nnual income (dollars)
Less than 10,000 ....
10,000 to 14,999 . . .
15,000 to 24,999 . . .
25,000 to 49,999 . . .
50,000 or more

'larital status
Single, never married . .
Single, formerly married
Married

53
50
41
27

44
58
53

32
46
47

45
40
48
47
40

52
41
44

10
9

10
9
8

37
41
51
60

46
33
37

Demographic
characteristic

Will spend Will spend Will spend

larger smaller same

percentage percentage percentage

47
47

Family size

5 or more

Residence

SMSA1, center city . . .

SMS A, not center city

Not SMSA

Work hours per week

1 to 20

21 to 39

41 or more

Activity participation
No activities

I to 5 activities

6 to 10 activities

II to 15 activities ....
16 to 20 activities ....
Over 20 activities ....

Region

Northeast

North Central

South

West

38
39
47
51
52

52
46
41

43
51
48
46
46

28
39
47
51
50
39

42
44
44
44

8
10
10

50
45
41
41

40
44
49

47
40
41
46
45

52
44
40
37
42

44
42
42
44

'Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Appendix B

APPENDIX B. SAMPLING
ERROR

The usual measure of sampling error is
called the standard error. Table B-l lists the
theoretical standard errors, that is, the stan-
dard errors for simple random samples of
various sizes encountered in the NRS. A
percentage estimated from such a sample is
expected to be within one standard error of
the true population value two times out of
three. It is expected to be within 1.96 stan-
dard errors of the true value 19 times out of
20. This is referred to as a 95-percent con-
fidence interval. It clearly depicts the degree
of precision of the estimated percentage.

The NRS sample was not a simple ran-
dom sample but a multistage cluster sample.
The sampling method is described in detail
in the Methodological Report. This type of
sample is generally less precise than a sim-
ple random sample of the same size, so the
theoretical standard error is multiplied by a
factor known as the design effect in order to
estimate the standard error actually achieved
in the survey. Design effects for 10 of the
estimated percentages in the NRS were
derived by a method called half sample
analysis and are described in the
Methodological Report.

Two 95-percent confidence intervals are
computed here as examples. They represent
the worst case (largest standard error— i.e,.
pool swimming) and the best case (smallest
standard error— i.e., playing tennis) of the

trial standard errors based on the entire
sample of 5,757 respondents.

Percentage who said they went swimming
in an outdoor pool 43%

Theoretical standard error
(from table B-l) 0.65%

Multiplied by observed
design effect x 1.10

Observed standard error 0.72%

95-percent confidence interval =
43% ± (1.96 x 0.72) or 43% ± 1.4%

Percentage who said they played
tennis 17%

Theoretical standard error 0.47%

Multiplied by observed
design effect x 1.01

Observed standard error 0.47%

95-percent confidence interval =
17% ± (1.96 x 0.47) or 17% + 0.9%

Design effects based on smaller sub-
samples ranged from 0.79 to 1.19 and
averaged 1.03 over all the instances tested.
The Methodological Report contains instruc-
tions on how to derive design effects for
other estimates— averages and totals as well
as percentages— by using the 16 half sample
codes recorded for each respondent on the
NRS data tape.

Table B-l. Theoretical Standard Errors for Various Size Samples and
Estimated Population Proportions

Estimated population proportion

Sample size

50
percent

40
percent

30
percent

20
percent

10
percent

5
percent

2.5
percent

5,757

0 0066

0.0065
0.0075
0.0092
0.0106
0.0130
0.0184
0.0260
0.0490

0.0060
0.0070
0.0086
0.0100
0.0122
0.0172
0.0245
0.0458

0.0053
0.0061
0.0075
0.0087
0.0106
0.0150
0.0214
0.0400

0.0040
0.0046
0.0056
0.0065
0.0080
0.0113
0.0160
0.0300

0.0029
0.0033
0.0041
0.0047
0.0058
0.0082
0.0116
0.0216

0.0021

4,317

0.0077

0.0024

2,878 .

0 0094

0.0029

2,158

0.0109

0.0034

1,439

0 0132

0.0042

720

360

100

0.0188
0.0267
0.0500

0.0059
0.0082
0.0156

Appendix C

O MB No. 06070413: Approval Expires December 31, 1983

foruNRS-1

I7-13-S2I

NATIONWIDE RECREATION
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

National Crime Survey Supplement

A. Respondent
Line No. I Age

NOTICE — Your report to the Census Bureau is confidential by law (U.S. Code 13.
section 9). All identifiable information will be used only by persons engaged in and for the
purposes of the survey and may not be disclosed or released to others for any purpose.

Sample

Control number

Segment

HH. No.

B. Type of interview

001 I i □ Personal

2 D Telephone

3 □ Telephone

flashcard booklet
no flashcard booklet

Type of non-interview

4 □ NCS - TYPE Z

5 □ NCS - Proxy

e □ Refused NRS (supplement only)

7 □ Other

Specify
k

INTRODUCTION

► IF PERSONAL INTERVIEW — Now I have some questions about how you spend your free time in outdoor recreation activities.
The Bureau of the Census is collecting this Information for the National Park Service. (Hand respondent Privacy Act Statement
on the back of the information card booklet. NRS 1 00 .) This explains the legal authority for conducting this survey. It also
explains that the survey is voluntary and all information provided will be used for statistical purposes only. You were chosen
at random to participate in this survey and your answers will represent those of thousands of other people like yourself.
These questions that I am going to ask you refer to just yourself and not to other members of your household. Now . . .

► IF TELEPHONE INTERVIEW — Now I have some questions about how you spend your free time in outdoor recreation activities.
The Bureau of the Census is collecting this information for the National Park Service. You were chosen at random to
participate in this survey and your answers will represent those of thousands of other people like yourself. When I visited
your household recently, I left an information card booklet for this survey. Would you please get it before we begin?

INTERVIEWER — Does respondent have / D Yes — Read remainder of introduction below and continue with form NRS-1

information card booklet? \D No — Go to form NRS-2 and continue introduction
These questions that I am going to ask you refer to just yourself and not to other members of your household. Now . . .

eTJHJJ'aaV

■QiuElr

1 a. Are there any outdoor recreation activities that you particularly
enjoy doing?

| 002 | i □ Yes

2 D No — Skip to introduction on page 2

1111

1 b. What are the 3 most important to you?

[003] \2

[004] r

[006] [~_

(2)

(3)

Is there more than 1 activity listed in 1 b?

D Yes

□ No - Skip to 1d

I c. Of these activities, which do you enjoy
doing most?

[ □ No one favorite

ACTIVITY (1) ACTIVITY (2) ACTIVITY (3)

*■ INTERVIEWER - Enter activities from 1b-

1 d. Ask for each activity.

Do you go (activity) as often as you would like?

iD Yes

>□ No

iD Yes

2DN0

□ Yes

1DN0

1 e. Ask for each activity with "No" marked in Id. Turn to page 2 In the booklet.
Here is a list of reasons why people don't do activities as often as they would
like. Which, if any, of these are reasons that kept you from (activity) more
often during the past 1 2 months? Any other reasons? Mark all that apply.
(1 ) There are no places to do the activity around here.

.□

□

(2) The places to do the activity are poorly maintained.

-□

(3) The places to do the activity are too crowded.

.□

(4) The places to do the activity have pollution problems.

»□

(5) The places to do the activity have personal safety problems.

»□

>□

(6) Not enough money.

■ □

>□

,□

(7( Not enough time.

009 [* 7O

018 « 7D

027U 7D

(8) Inadequate transportation or too far to travel.

>□

.□

(9) Inadequate information on places to do the activity.

.□

,□

~^rr

10n

(10) Personal health reasons.

>□

(11) Don't have the people to do the activity with.

□

■ □

,□

(12) Some other reason

Specify

iiD

12D

12 □

liD

1 f . Ask for all activities listed. People enjoy outdoor recreation activities for different
reasons. On page 3 of the booklet, there Is a list of such reasons. Which, If any, of
these are ressons why you enjoy (activity) ? Any other reasons? Mark all that apply.
(1) It's quiet and peaceful where I go.

013 •

□

(2) There aren't many people around.

(3) I have the special equipment for it. I like using the equipment.

>□

)□

,□

(4) It gives me a chance to be with family or friends.

»□

.□

,□

(S) To do something new or different.

»□

,□

(6) To enjoy nature and the outdoors.

.□

(7) 1 like the people who do that activity.

-□

023 • 7D

032 • 7D

18) To get exercise or keep in shape.

,□

(9) To get away from day-to-day living or problems.

>□

• □

(10) Some other reason — Specify

ioD
10D

ioD
10D
ioD

>□
>□
>□

INTRODUCTION - Look at pages 4 and 5 in the booklet.
This is a list of various outdoor recreation activities and a
calendar. I'd like you to think about the outdoor recreation
activities you took part in whether it was on vacations, trips,
outings, or at any other times during the past 1 2 months,
from , 1 98 . to of this year.

2c. Turn to page 6 in the booklet. During the
past 1 2 months, on ABOUT how many dif-
ferent days did you go (activity)?

2d. How many of these days were during the
past 3 months (name month(s))?

2e. At what age did you first go (activity)?

ACTIVITY CHART

2a. During the past 1 2 months, did you go (read each activity
in Group I in column 2a) ?

Record "Yes" responses in 2b for each activity, then ask for
next group. Ask for ALL groups and then go to Check Item B
at the bottom of page 3.

2b.

"Yes,"

mark

(X)

2c.

Number of days in
past 1 2 months

A — 1—2 days
B - 3-10
C- 11-25
D — More than
25

2d.

Number of

days in

past 3 months

2e.

Age

GROUP I

043]
01 □

044 |

046 |

Bicycling

Horseback riding

047 |
02 D

048

049

050 |

Golfing

061 |

03 D

062 |

063 |

064 |

Play tennis outdoors

056 |

04 n

066 |

067 [

058 |

Participate in outdoor team sports

069 |

05 D

060 |

061 |

062 |

Any other outdoor game or sport

063 |

06 D

AfOT

:A&K y

GROUP II

__. 1

065

066]

067 |

During the past 1 2 months, did you go —

Canoeing or kayaking

064 |
07 D

Sailing

068 |

08 D

069

070 |

071 |

Motorboating

072 |

09 n

073 |

074 |

076 |

Waterskiing

076 |

10D

,,:■:■■ CO

*t&r

**•#**. '^ '".

Any other boating or watercreft sport

077 |

\ . . ■&&&

AfOT

A«K

GROUP III

078]

079]

080 |

During the past 1 2 months, did you go —
Swimming in an outdoor pool

081 |

Any other outdoor swimming

082 |

.3D

083 |

084 |

085 |

Fishing

086 |

14D

087 |

088 [

089 |

Hunting

090 |

■6Q

091 |

092 |

093

GROUP IV

094 1

096 |

096]

During the past 1 2 months, did you go —

097 |

Backpacking

16D

Camping in developed campground*

098 |
I7D

099 |

100 |

101 |

Camping In primitive campgrounds

102 |

103

104 |

iosJ

Any other camping

106 |

19D

107 |

108 |

109

FOftMNHS-1 17-13-62

Page 2

2c. Turn to page 6 in the booklet. During the
past 1 2 months, on ABOUT how many dif-
ferent days did you go (activity)?

2d. How many of these days were during the
past 3 months (name month(s))?

2e. At what age did you first go (activity)?

ACTIVITY CHART - Continued

2a. — Continued

During the past 1 2 months, did you go (read each activity
in Group V /n column 2a) ?

GROUP V

Day hiking

Walking for pleasure

Running or jogging

Birdwatching or other nature study activities

GROUP VI

During the past 1 2 months, did you go
On picnics

Driving for pleasure

Sightseeing

Driving motorized vehicles off Improved roads
'(include motorcycles but not snowmobiles)

GROUP VII

During the past 1 2 months, did you go
Ice skating

Downhill skiing

Cross country skiing or ski touring

Snowmobiling

Sledding

Any other outdoor winter activities

GROUP VIII

During the past 1 2 months, did you —

Visit any zoos, fairs, or amusement parks

Attend any outdoor sports events

Attend any outdoor, concerts, plays, or other
outdoor performances

GROUP IX

During the past 1 2 months, did you take part in any other outdoor
recreation activity (record up to four)? Any other?

2b.

"Yes/

mark

(X)

119 |
20 D

□

.□

129 |

24 D

□

131 |

26 D

136 |

28 D

137|
29 D

□

161 |

34 □

□

1S8

162

~39a

2c.

Number of days in
past 1 2 months

A - 1-2 days
B - 3-10
C - 11-25
D — More than
25

2d.

Number of

days in

past 3 months

NOT

>MOTx

WOT

MOT

HOT

NOT

MOT

NOT

MOT

2e.

Age

mmm

ASK

128

ABH

ASK

mmm

ASK

jASfMC

WiliaHMtHHMMil

A&K

A*MC

mum

F0«M NRS l'M]8J

Are there any entries in 2b?

n Yes — Ask 2c, 2d, and 2e at top of page 2 together for each activity with "Yes" in 2b

No - Skip to 2f

Page 3

21. During the past 2 years, that is since 198 , have you stopped doing any outdoor recreation activities that you used to do?

[T79~l i □ Yes

2 D No - Skip to 2i

2 g. Which activities have you stopped doing? Any other activities?

Code from 2b, if possible. Record up to the first three.

riioi

(1)

rnri

(2)

I 182 I

(3)

2h. Ask for each activity in 2g.

Look at the card on page 2 in the booklet.
Why did you stoo tactivitv) ?

ACTIVITY (1)

ACTIVITY (2)

ACTIVITY (3)

eason? Mark all that apply.

183 |»

188 |*

193 |«

(1 ) There are no places to do the activity around here.

(2) The places to do the activity are poorly maintained.

(3) The places to do the activity are too crowded.

(4) The places to do the activity have pollution problems.

(5) The places to do the activity have personal
safety problems.

(6) Not enough money.

(7) Not enough time.

184 |»

189 »

194 |«

(8) Inadequate transportation or too far to travel.

(9) Inadequate information on places to do
the activity.

<>□

<»□

(10) Personal health reasons.

186

190

ioD

195

ioD

(1 1 ) Don't have people to do activity with.

186 |

191 |

196

(12) Some other reason(s) — Specif y»

192 |

12D

197 |

187 ]

12D

2i. During the next two years, that is, between now and 1 98 , do you expect you ml

recreation activities that you haven't done before?

pl9T] t □ Yes

2 D No - Skip to Check Item C

ght start doing any outdoor

2j. Which activities are those? Any other activities?

Record up to the first three. (Code from 2b if possible)

|1»»I

(1)

200 |

(2)

[20TI

(3)

Is respondent 1 6 years old or older?

■TCjWH^P' ' ' Yes Go to Check Item D
WMiauM^r D No - Skip to 4a

FORMNRS 1 (7 13-82)

Page 4

■23233^

Cod*

07 D2b

14 Q2b

IB D2b

16 D2b

17 D2b
19 D2b
27 D2b

30 D2b

31 D2b

Look at items 2a and 2b. Mark each of the following
which has a "Yes" entry in 2b.

Activity

= 07 Canoeing or kayaking

= 14 Freshwater fishing, other than

trout or salmon

= 15 Hunting, other than big game

= 1 6 or 20 Backpacking or hiking

= 1 7 or 1 8 Camping in campgrounds

= 19 Any other camping not in campgrounds

= 27 Driving motorized vehicles off improved

roads (including motorcycles but not

snowmobiles)

= 30 Cross country skiing or ski touring

= 31 Snowmobiling

— . trips primarily to go (activity from Check Item Dft
1 301 | i □ No — Enter code and activity j

Are there entries in Check Item D?

□ Yes

□ No - Skip to 4a

For first "Yes" entry above in Check Item D, ask —

3a. During the past 12 months, from , 198 , to

. of this year, did you go on any outings or

[302]

Go to next page for next activity in Check Item D.
If this is last "Yes" activity, go to 4a.

1 303 I 2 □ Yes — Enter code and activity) and ask 3b.

[3M]

3b. How many outings or trips did you go on In the past
1 2 months to go (activity)?

1 305 |

Number of trips

3c. What Is the name of the main plac* you want (activity) on
your last trip?

3d. About how many miles is (place from 3c) from your
residence?

[306 [

Miles

3*. Look at the card on page 7 in the booklet. How did you

get there? Any other way? (Mark all that apply.)

! 307 I » i □ Car, truck, or van

2 □ Pick-up camper, camper-
van, motor home

sQ Vehicle pulling camper
trailer

4O Motorcycle, moped, etc.

bD Train

eD Bus

1 308 |« 7 □ Airplane

8 □ Ship or boat

9 □ Bicycle

10 □ Walking

1 1 □ Some other
wayj

310

3f . How many other people want there with you?

ED]

Number of people

3g. How long did it take you to get there?

[3T2]

[3131

Days

Hours, if less than 1 day

3h. Did you have to pay any entry fees, activity feos, rentals, or
other charges to go (activity) at (place from 3c)7

|314 I iDYes

1 □ No - Skip to 3j

31. About how much money was that per person?

LUlI

3J. How long did you stay there?

[316]

Days

Hours, if less than 1 day

3k. Was the place where you ware (activity) IN a city or town.
Just outside a cfty or town, or away from crtie* and towns?

| 318 1 1 □ In a city or town

2 D Just outside

3 □ Away

}

Go to 3r

3t Is that a place you can gat to by motor vehicle and
motor vehicles are allowed?

319

1 DYes

2DNO

3 D Don't know

Is code 27 marked in 3a?

□ Yes - Skip to 3n

□ No

3m. Now, please think about the land around (place from 3c)
where you war* (activity). We are Interested In how
developed that area is. While you were (activity) there,
were you usually lass than V4 mile, V> mile to 3 miles, or
mora than 3 miles from the nearest road or trail open to
motor vehicle use. Including motorcycles?

320

1 □ Less than V> mile ">

2 □ Vt mile to 3 miles I

3 □ More than 3 miles j

4 □ Don't know J

Skip to 3o

3n. Now, please think about the land around (place from 3c)
where you war* (activity). We are interested In how
developed that area is.

While you were driving motor vehicles off improved
roads, were you usually lass than Vi mile, V4 mile to 3
miles, or more than 3 miles from the nearest improved
road?

I 321 I 1 □ Less than V4 mile

2 □ Vi mile to 3 miles

3 □ More than 3 miles

4 □ Don't know

3o . Turn to page 8 In the booklet. In the area around the
place where you were (activity), how noticeable or
prominent ware manmade structures such as power
lines, dams, railroads, or buildings?

1 □ Not noticeable

2 □ Hardly noticeable

3 □ Moderately noticeable

4 □ Quite noticeable but not prominent

5 □ Extremely noticeable and prominent

3p. In the area around the piece where you were (activity),
how noticeable or prominent were signs of other
activities such as logging, farming, mines, quarries,
and gravel pits?

323

1 □ Not noticeable

2 □ Hardly noticeable

3 □ Moderately noticeable

4 □ Quite noticeable but not prominent
s □ Extremely noticeable and prominent

Look at 3m. Is entry 2 or 3?

□ Yes

□ No - Skip to 3r

3q. About how many other persons, besides those in your own
party, did you see or hear per day in the erea around

(place from 3c) where you (activity)?

I 324 I 1 □ Less than 3
2D3to 10
3 □ 1 1 to 50
4^51 to 100
sD More than 100

3r. On this trip did you go to any other places?

[32T] iO Yes

2 □ No - Go to Check Item H

3s. About how many miles did you trevel during that entire
trip?

.Miles

F0RMNRS-I 17-13-821

■♦i;i^'*m,

Are there any more activities with "Yes" responses
in Check Item D?

□ Yes — Ask 3a for next activity with "Yes"

□ No — Go to 4a

Page S

NOTES

3k. Was the place where you were (activity) IN a city or town,
just outside a city or town, or away from cities and towns?

| 318 | iDlna city or town

2 D Just outside

3 □ Away

i, or away ir«

I Go to 3r

3(. Is that a place you can get to by motor vehicle and where
motor vehicles are allowed?

| 319 | iDYes
2DN0
3 D Don't know

For next "Yes" entry in Check Item D, say —

3a. Other than the outings or trips you told me about before,
during the past 1 2 months did you go on any outings or
trips primarily to go (activity from Check Item 0/7

G I 301 | 1 D No — Enter code and activity
M

Go to next page for next activity in Check Item D.
If this is last "Yes" activity, go to 4a.

I 303 | 2 □ Yes — Enter code and activity and ask 3b.

1— —1——,
[304] '

How many outings or trips did you go on In the past
1 2 months to go (activity)?

| 305 |

Number of trips

3c. What is the name of the main place you went (activity) on
your last trip?

3d. About how many miles is (place from 3c) from your
residence?

I 306 I

Miles

3e. Look at the card on page 7 in the booklet. How did you
get there? Any other way? (Mark all that apply.)

| 307 | » 1 D Car, truck, or van | 309 |» 7 D Airplane

2 □ Pick-up camper, camper- 8 □ Ship or boat

van, motor home 9 D Bicycle

3D Vehicle pulling camper rjjjji ,0[JWa,kjng

trailer ^=f ™

,—, I 310 I 1 1 □ Some other

4U Motorcycle, moped, etc. wav

5D Train

sDBus

3f . How many other people went there with you?

way

*■

rrrn

Number of people

3g. How long did it take you to get there?

(777]
7TJJ

Days

Hours, if less than 1 day

3h. Did you have to pay any entry fees, activity fees, rentals, or
other charges to go (activity) at (place from 3c)?

|314| iDYes

2 □ No - Skip to 3j

31. About how much money was that per person?

ZZJ.D

I316!

3 j. How long did you stay there?

[316|
[317]

Days

Hours, if less than 1 day

Is code 27 marked in 3a?

□ Yes - Skip to 3n

□ No

3m. Now, please think about the land around (place from 3c)
where you were (activity). We are interested in how
developed that area is. While you were (activity) there,
were you usually less than % mile, Vi mile to 3 miles, or
more than 3 miles from the nearest road or trail open to
motor vehicle use, including motorcycles?

| 320 | 1 □ Less than V4 mile

2 □ Vi mile to 3 miles

3 D More than 3 miles

4 □ Don't know

► Skip to 3o

3n. Now, please think about the land around (place from 3c)
where you were (activity). We are interested in how
developed that area is.

While you were driving motor vehicles off improved
roads, were you usually less than % mile, Vi mile to 3
miles, or more than 3 miles from the nearest improved
road?

321

1 □ Less than J4 mile

2 D Vi mile to 3 miles

3 □ More than 3 miles

4 □ Don't know

3o. Turn to page 8 in the booklet. In the area around the
place where you were (activity), how noticeable or
prominent were manmade structures such as power
lines, dams, railroads, or buildings?

| 322 | 1 □ Not noticeable

2 □ Hardly noticeable

3 D Moderately noticeable

4 D Quite noticeable but not prominent
8 □ Extremely noticeable and prominent

3p. In the aree around the place where you were (activity),
how noticeable or prominent were signs of other
activities such as logging, farming, mines, quarries,
and gravel pits?

I 323 I 1 D Not noticeable

2 □ Hardly noticeable

3 D Moderately noticeable

4 □ Quite noticeable but not prominent

5 CH Extremely noticeable and prominent

Look at 3m. Is entry 2 or 3?

□ Yes

□ No - Skip to 3r

3q. About how many other persons, besides those in your own
party, did you see or hear per dey in the area around

(place from 3c) where you (activity)?

| 324 | 1 □ Less than 3

2 □ 3 to 1 0

3 □ 1 1 to 50

4 □ 51 to 100

5 □ More than 100

3r.On this trip did you go to any other places?

| 326 | 1 □ Yes

2 □ No — Go to Check Item H

3s. About how meny miles did you travel during that entire
trip?

[sjej

Miles

Are there any more activities with "Yes" responses
in Check Item D?

□ Yes — Ask 3a for next activity with "Yes"

□ No - Go to 4a

Page 6

For next "Yes" entry in Check Item D, say —

3a. Other than the outings or trip* you told ma about before,

during the past 1 2 months did you go on any outings or
— I trips primarily to go (activity from Check Item DfT

[soil iDNo

U [302]

NOTES

Enter code and activity.

Go to next page for next activity in Check Item D.
If this is last "Yes" activity, go to 4a.

I 303 1 2 □ Yes — Enter code and activity, and ask 3b.

Ls3

How many outings or trips did you go on In the past
1 2 months to go (activity)?

[306]

Number of trips

3c. What is the name of the main place you went (activity) <
your last trip?

3d. About how many miles is (place from 3c) from your
residence?

I 306 |

Miles

3e. Look at the card on page 7 in the booklet. How did you
get there? Any other way? (Mark all that apply.)

| 307 | « i DCar, truck, or van

2 □ Pick-up camper, camper-
van, motor home

3D Vehicle pulling camper
trailer

4Q Motorcycle, moped, etc.
sD Train

6! ] Bus

1 8081* 7 D Airplane

s D Ship or boat
9 D Bicycle

10 D Walking

1 1 D Some other

310

way,

[EH

. Number of people

3g. How long did H take you to get there?

Days

Hours, if less than 1 day

3k. Was the place where you were (activity) IN a city or town,
just outside a city or town, or away from cities and towns?

| 318 | 1 □ In a city or town

2 D Just outside

3 □ Away

}

Go to 3r

3(. Is that a place you can get to by motor vehicle and where
motor vehicles are allowed?

I 319 | 1 □ Yes

2DN0

3 □ Don't know

Is code 27 marked in 3a?

□ Yes - Skip to 3n

□ No

3f . How many other people went there with you?

3h. Did you have to pay any entry fees, activity fees, rentals, or
other charges to go (activity) at (place from 3c)?

GEO

1 DYes

2 □ No - Skip to 3j

31. About how much money was that per person?

[316]

□

3J. How long did you stay there?

doe

Days

Hours, if less than 1 day

3m. Now, please think about the land around (place from 3c)
where you were (activity). We are Interested In how
developed that area is. While you were (activity) there,
were you usually less than % mile, % mile to 3 miles, or
more than 3 miles from the nearest road or trail open to
motor vehicle use. Including motorcycles?

1 □ Less than Vi mile

2 □ '/a mile to 3 miles

3 □ More than 3 miles

4 □ Don't know

► Skip to 3o

3n. Now, please think about the land around (place from 3c)
where you were (activity). We are Interested In how
developed that area is.

While you were driving motor vehicles off improved
roads, were you usually leas than Vt mile, Vi mile to 3
miles, or more than 3 miles from the nearest Improved
road?

I 321 I 1 D Less than >4 mile

2 □ '/4 mile to 3 miles

3 □ More than 3 miles

4 D Don't know

3o. Turn to page 8 in the booklet. In the area around the
place where you were (activity), how noticeable or
prominent were manmade structures such as power
lines, dams, railroads, or buildings?

1 D Not noticeable

2 D Hardly noticeable

3 D Moderately noticeable

4 □ Quite noticeable but not prominent
s D Extremely noticeable and prominent

3p. In the area around the place where you were (activity),
how noticeable or prominent were signs of other
activities such as logging, farming, mines, quarries,
and gravel pits?

1 D Not noticeable

2 D Hardly noticeable

3 G Moderately noticeable

4 D Quite noticeable but not prominent
6 □ Extremely noticeable and prominent

Look at 3m. Is entry 2 or 3?
DYes
□ No — Skip to 3r

3q. About how many other persons, besides those in your own
party, did you see or hear per day In the area around

(place from 3c) where you (activity)?

I 324 I 1 □ Less than 3

2 □ 3 to 1 0

3 □ 1 1 to 50
4D51 to 100

s □ More than 1 00

3r. On this trip did you go to eny other places?

|~326~| iDYes

2 □ No — Go to Check Item H

3s. About how meny miles did you travel during that entire
trip?

|32«l

.Miles

Are there any more activities with "Yes" responses
in Check Item D7

D Yes — Ask 3a for next activity with "Yia"

□ No - Go to 4a

F0RMNRS 1 17-13-621

Page 7

NOTES

For next "Yes" entry in Check Item D, say —
3a. Other than the outings or trips you told ma about before,
during tha past 1 2 months did you go on any outings or
trips primarily to go (activity from Check Item DIf

[joT] iDNo

Enter code and activity.

[302]

Go to NRS-1A for next activity in Check Item D.
If this is last "Yes" activity, go to 4a.

I 303 | 2 D Yes — Enter code and activity and ask 3b.

[304]

How many outings or trips did you go on In tha past
1 2 months to go (activity)?

Number of trips

3c. What is the name of the main place you want (activity) on
your last trip?

3d. About how many miles is (place from 3c) from your
residence?

Miles

3e. Look at the card on page 7 in the booklet. How did you
get there? Any other way? (Mark all that apply.)

| 307 | * 1 □ Car, truck, or van

2 □ Pick-up camper, camper-
van, motor home

3D Vehicle pulling camper
trailer

4D Motorcycle, moped, etc.

sO Train

eD Bus

3f . How many other people went there with you?

| 308

* 7 □ Airplane
s D Ship or boat
9 D Bicycle

| 309

io □ Walking

| 310

1 1 □ Some other
way,

ran]

Number of people

3g. How long did it take you to get there?

I 313 I

Days

Hours, if less than 1 day

3k. Was the place where you were (activity) IN a city or town,
just outside a city or town, or away from cities and towns?

| 318 | i □ In a city or town

2 D Just outside

3 □ Away

Go to 3r

3t Is that a place you can gat to by motor vehicle and where
motor vehicles are allowed?

[alii i DYes
iDNo
3 D Don't know

Is code 27 marked in 3a?

□ Yes - Skip to 3n

□ No

3h. Did you have to pay any entry fees, activity fees, rentals, or
other charges to go (activity) at (place from 3c)?

|3i4| id Yes

2 □ No - Skip to 3j

31. About how much money was that per person?

BO]

□

3J. How long did you stay there?

[316]
[317]

Days

Hours, if less than 1 day

3m. Now, please think about the land around (place from 3c)
where you wore (activity). We are interested In how
developed that area Is. While you ware (activity) there,
were you usually lass than V4 mile, V4 mile to 3 miles, or
mora than 3 miles from the nearest road or trail open to
motor vehicle use, including motorcycles?

i O Less than Vi mile

2 □ Vi mile to 3 miles

3 O More than 3 miles

4 □ Don't know

► Skip to 3o

3n. Now, please think about the land around (place from 3c)
where you were (activity). We are interested In how
developed that area Is.

While you were driving motor vehicles off Improved
roads, ware you usually less than Vt mile, V> mile to 3
miles, or more than 3 miles from the nearest Improved
road?

321

i D Less than '/> mile

2 D Va mile to 3 miles

3 G More than 3 miles

4 □ Don't know

3o. Turn to page 8 in the booklet. In the area around the
place where you were (activity), how noticeable or
prominent were manmade structures such as power
lines, dams, railroads, or buildings?

i D Not noticeable

2 □ Hardly noticeable

3 D Moderately noticeable

4 □ Quite noticeable but not prominent

5 D Extremely noticeable and prominent

3p. In the area around the place where you were (activity),
how noticeable or prominent were signs of other
activities such as logging, farming, mines, quarries,
and gravel pits?

i □ Not noticeable

2 □ Hardly noticeable

3 D Moderately noticeable

4 D Quite noticeable but not prominent
s n Extremely noticeable and prominent

Look at 3m. Is entry 2 or 3?

□ Yes

□ No - Skip to 3r

3q. About how many other persons, besides those in your own
party, did you see or hear per day in the area around

(place from 3c) where you (activity)?

| 324 | i □ Less than 3

2d3tO 10

3 □ 1 1 to 50

- □ 51 to 100

5 □ More than 100

3r. On this trip did you go to any other places?

326 | i □ Yes

2 □ No — Go to ChecK Item H

3s. About how many miles did you travel during that entire
trip?

.Miles

Are there any more activities with "Yes" responses
in Check Item D?

□ Yes — Ask 3a for next activity with "Yes"

O No — Go to 4a

FOHMNRS-1 17-13-82)

Page 8

, Now, I would like you to think about tha relative
importance TO YOU of varioua types of parks and
outdoor recreation areas.

First, would you say that . . .

Having a yard or play area to use for outdoor recreation
Is very important, somewhat Important, or not very
important?

| 336 | 1 D Very important

2 D Somewhat important

3 D Not very important

4b.

Having parks or outdoor recreation areas within a
1 6-minute walk from homo is vary important,
somewhat important, or not vary important?

| 337 | i D Very important

2 D Somewhat important

3 □ Not very important

4c. Having parks or outdoor recreation areas that are farther
than a 1 5-minute walk, but within an hour's travel time
from home Is very important, somewhat important, or not
very Important?

1 338 | 1 □ Very important

2 D Somewhat important

3 CD Not very important

4d.

Having parks or outdoor recreation areas even farther
away, mora than an hour's travel, maybe several hours' or
even days' travel, is very important, somewhat important,
or not very important?

| 339 | i □ Very important

2 □ Somewhat important

3 D Not very important

. Now let's talk about the different places where you
engage in outdoor recreation.

Does your residence have a yard or play area that you
can use for outdoor recreation?

[Jio] i □ Yes

2 □ No — Skip to 4g

4f . During the past 1 2 months, from .

1,196_,to

. of this year, on how many different days did

you use this yard or play area for outdoor recreation?

Read answer categories.
| 341 | i □ Never

2 □ 1 to 2 days

3D 3 to 10 days

4 D More than 1 0 days

4g. Are there parks or outdoor recreation areas within a
1 5-minute welk from your residence?

I 342 |

1 □ Yes

2 □ No - Skip to 4i

4h. During the past 1 2 months (from .

1,198_,t©

. of this year), on how many different days
did you go to parks or outdoor recreation areas within <
1 5-minute walk?

Read answer categories.

| 343 | 1 □ Never

2 □ 1 to 2 days

3D 3 to 10 days

4 D More than 1 0 days

41. During the past 1 2 months, on about how many different
days did you go to parks or outdoor recreation areas that
were more than a 1 5-minute walk, but within an hour's
travel from home?

Read answer categories.
I 344 I 1 □ Never

2 □ 1 to 2 days

3D 3 to 10 days

4 D More than 10 days

•I.

During the pest 1 2 months, on about how many different
days did you visit any parks or outdoor recreation areas
that were more than an hour's travel from home?

Read answer categories.

| 346 | 1 D Never

2 D 1 to 2 days

3D 3 to 10 days

4 D More than 1 0 days

5a. Turn to page 9 in the booklet. Here is e list, by region, of
the country's national parks. Can you recall ever going to
any of these national parks?

1 348 | 1 D Yes

2 D No - Skip to 5d

5b. Which national parks have you gone to?

interviewer — Refer to page Win the booklet, enter code

for each response.

Any others?

[34^
[349]

|3B1|
[363 |

|366 |

362

If more than 20, how many more? j

I 357 |

5c. In what year did you last visit one of these national parks?

5d. How likely are you to visit one of the national parks in
the next 1 2 months; very likely, somewhat likely, or
not very likely?

1 369 I 1 D Very likely - Skip to Check Item I

2 D Somewhat likely

3 D Not very likely

4 D Don't know

5e. How likely are you to visit one of the national parks in
the next 3 years?

1 D Very likely

2 D Somewhat likely

3 D Not very likely

4 D Don't know

[360 |

}

Skip to Check Item J

Is respondent 1 6 years old or older?
D Yes - Ask 5f
D No - END INTERVIEW

5f . Many national parks charge entry fees. Additional fees are
charged for the use of certain facilities and services inside
the parks. Thinking now about any amount from 25 cents
to 1 00 dollars, what is the highest entry fee that you would
pay per adult to visit any national park in the next 3 yeers?

[361]

□

x D Don't know

5g. Now please think about a yearly pass which would admit
you to all national parks as often as you wanted to go
during the year. Thinking about any amount from 5 dollars
to 1 00 dollars, how much would you be willing to pay for
such a pass in the next 3 years?

[362 |

| 363 |

□

1 D Not interested

2 D Don't know

Is respondent 1 6 years old or older?
D Yes - Ask 5h
D No - END INTERVIEW

5h. Look at the card on page 1 0 In the booklet. Assume that to
operate a national park costs an average of 5 dollars for each
visitor. Thinking now about eech INDIVIDUAL visitor, how
much of the 5-dollar cost do you think should be paid directly
by that visitor through entry and other fees, and how much
should be paid by the general public from tax revenue?

| 364 | 1 D All ($5.00) from park visitor — nothing from taxes

2 D % ($3.75) from park visitor — the rest from taxes

3 D V4 ($2.50) from park visitor — the rest from taxes

4 D % ( $ 1 . 2 5) from park visitor — the rest from taxes
s D Nothing from park visitor — all ($5.00) from taxes
6 D Don't know

FOflMNRS 1 17-13-62)

Page 9

5i. The national park* offer a variety of services. A list of
such services is on page 1 1 in your booklet. As I read the
list, please tell me whether the costs of each should be
paid for by visitors or from taxes.

Mark (X) appropriate box

Visitor
fees

(a)

Taxes
(b)

Combi-
nation

Don't

provide

Idl

DK/NA
(e)

(1) Operating campgrounds

m*}

□

-□

.□

(2) Special talks and exhibits

[376]

□

:□

.□

(3) Operating advance reservation systems for
camping and other activities

[376]

.□

(4) Rides on buses or other ways of getting
around the park

Hzz]

□

.□

■ D

>□

5 j . In the future, visits to certain national parks, such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon may have to be limited in order to
reduce crowding during the summer. Look at the card on page 1 2 in the booklet. Here are four ways under consideration
which could each reduce the overcrowding by the same amount. Please tell me which of these four ways would be your
first choice, second choice, third choice, and fourth choice.

I 378 1 (a) Turning people away who come after a limit of people are in the park.

I 379 I (b) Letting people apply in advance to reserve their park visits, then drawing names to find out who gets reservations.

I 38° I (c) Letting people reserve park visits ahead of time with reservations taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.

1 381 I (d) Charging an extra 5 dollars per adult visitor during the summer in crowded parks.

I 382 I o □ (e) None acceptable

■ lil l liPa^

6a. We are interested in the time you spend on outdoor recrea-
tion. Compared to 2 years ago, that is 1 98 , would you

say you are spending more time, less time, or about the
same amount of your time on outdoor recreation?

| 383 | i D More time

2 D Less time

3 D About the same
« O Don't know

}

Skip to 6c

6b. Why is that?

I384 I

6c. Thinking ahead 2 years, that is to 198 , would you

say you will be spending more time, less time, or about
the same amount of time on outdoor recreation?

| 386 | 1 □ More time

2 D Less time

3 □ About the same "|

4 □ Don't know J

Skip to 6e

6d. Why is that?

6e. We are also interested in the money you spend on
outdoor recreation. Did you spend any money in the
past 1 2 months on outdoor recreation?

| 387 | i □ Yes

2 □ No — Skip to Check Item L

6f . Look at page 1 3 in the booklet. On which of these did
you spend money for outdoor recreation? Any others?

| 388 |« 1 □ Fees for entering and using outdoor recreation
areas and facilities, including membership fees.

2 O Boats, snowmobiles, aircraft, bicycles, and

recreation vehicles including campers, etc.

3 □ Sporting goods, including balls, golf clubs,

fishing tackle, etc.

4 □ Camping equipment

5 □ Clothing for outdoor recreation

6 □ Other equipment and supplies

| 389 |» 7 D Maintenance and repair of outdoor recreation
equipment

b D Travel costs for outdoor recreation including
food and lodging

9 □ Other expenses — Specify
it

| 390 | io □ Don't know

FOflMNRS 1(7 13 871

Is more than 1 box marked in 6f ?

□ Yes - Ask 6g

□ No - Skip to 6h

6g. On which one of these did you spend the most money?

Item number

x n No one item the most

6h. Using the card on page 1 4 in the booklet, could you give
me a rough idea of how many dollars you spent altogether
on outdoor recreation during the past 1 2 months?

1 392 | o □ None — Skip to Check Item L
I □ Under $50
2D$50-$99
3d$100-$249

4 □ $250- $499

5 □ $500- $999

6 □ $ 1 000 and over — About how

much would that be?

6i.

Compared to 2 years ago, that is 1 98 , would you say

you are spending a smaller percentage, a larger percen-
tage, or about the same percentage of the money you have
on outdoor recreation?

1 394 | i □ Smaller percentage

2 ED Larger percentage

3 D About the same "^

4 □ Don't know J

Skip to 6k

6j. Why is that?

6k. Thinking ahead 2 years, that is to 198 , will you probably

be spending a smaller percentage, a larger percentage, or
about the same percentage of the money you have on out-
door recreation?

1 □ Smaller percentage

2 □ Larger percentage

3 □ About the same

4 □ Don't know

}

Skip to Chect Item L

«f. Why is that?

Page 10

Is respondent 60 years old or older?

□ Yes - Ask 7a

□ No - END INTERVIEW

7a. During the past 1 2 months from .

_, 198_.to

. of this year, have you taken part in any

outdoor recreation activities which were sponsored by a
club or organization?

I *Q7 | 1 DYes

2D No - Skip to 7d

7b. What are the names of these organizations?

PROBE: Can you think of any other clubs or organizations
which sponsored outdoor recreation activities in
which you took part during the past 1 2 months?

List up to four
organizations
below; then ask ■

7c. Are you a member of (first
organization mentioned}?
What about (second, etc.)?

(7b) Organization

(1)

410

(2)

(3)

(4)

(7c) Membership

1 DYes
jDNo

i DYes

i DYes
2DN0

1 DYes
2DN0

7d. Some people are experienced at outdoor recreetion
activities which they could help others to learn. Do you
have ANY outdoor recreation skill or interest which you
think you could help others to learn or practice,
including family and friends?

[Tie] 1 DYes

2 DNo - END INTERVIEW

7e. What is that skill or interest?

PROBE: Are there any other outdoor skills or
interests that you could help others to
learn?

[417]
[418]
[419]

(1)

(2)

(3)

7f . Are you currently teaching (this/any of these) skill(s) to
others?

[420] iDYes

2 □ No - Skip to 7h

7g. Now, about the kinds of people you teach (this/these)
skill(s), are they family or relatives, friends or
acquaintances, organization members, or other
people?

Mark all that apply.

[ 421 |«i □ Family or relatives

2 D Friends or acquaintances

3 □ Organization members

4 □ Other people — Specify

END
INTERVIEW

7h. There are many reasons why people don't teach others
the outdoor recreation skills or interests they have. Turn
to page 15 in your booklet. Here is a list of some of these
reasons. Please tell me which of these reasons might
apply to you.

Any other reasons?

Mark all that apply.

I 422 I » 1 n Not enough time

2 □ Not interested in teaching

3 Q Don't know how to teach or wouldn't

feel comfortable teaching

4 □ Personal health reasons

5 □ Lack of transportation

6 D Don't have equipment or supplies
I 423 1*7 □ Haven't been asked to teach

8 D Don't know the right people or

organizations to get in touch with

9 □ Other reasons — Specify

END INTERVIEW

NOTES

fOHMNRS 1 17-13 821

Page 1 1

t> U . S . GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICEi 1 9 8 6 -4 9 1 ' 0 7 0 / 4 0 07 I

READER COMMENT SHEET

Dear Reader:

The National Park Service is interested in your comments and suggestions regarding this report.
If you would like to comment, please remove this evaluation page and fold it so that the National
Park Service mailing address appears on the outside. After folding, use tape or staples to
close. No postage is required.

1. How useful was the information in the report? Was it complete and sufficiently detailed?
Place a checkmark (**) under the answer you select.

HOW USEFUL? HOW MUCH DETAIL?

Some- Too Not

Very what Not much About enough

useful useful useful detail right detail

Participation rates— activity breakdown

Participation rates— demographic breakdown . . .

Volume of participation (activity-days)

Favorite activities

Constraints and reasons for liking favorites

Long-term comparisons (1960-1982)

Short-term trend indicators— activity

Short-term trend indicators— time and

money spent for outdoor recreation

Use and importance of close vs far opportunities

Past and future national park visits

Respondent opinion on national park issues

Outdoor recreation and aging

2. Specifically, for what purpose will you use the information?

Regarding the presentation of information, was it understandable and in the form that you
needed? Which parts of the report, if any, were difficult to understand or use? How could
the presentation be improved?

4. Can you suggest any additional information that may be suitable for inclusion in future
Nationwide Recreation Surveys?

5. Any other comments or suggestions? Use additional paper, if necessary.

6. (This part is optional).

Name ,

Organization Telephone number

POSTAGE AND FEES PAID

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

INT-417

ATTN: NRS Report

U.S. Department of the Interior

National Park Service

Recreation Resources Assistance Division (765)

P.O. Box 37127

Washington, D.C. 20013

°ATE DUE

8&ODART. INC

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